Oregon Lighthouse posters on postcard
[Mike Rangner, artist]
We came across this postcard with posters by the Oregon artist Mike Rangner while on our trip to the Redwoods National & State Parks. We saw all of these lighthouses except Arago, not open to the public and fenced off, and Tillamook that can only be viewed from the shore at a distance since it is on a small islet. Northwest ArtMall produced the postcard and the images are also available online, see link below. Rangner, who has also illustrated the children’s book, The Seed and The Giant Saguaro, has received honors and awards from service organizations for his design work. His original works have the MKR logo. The logo does appear on each panel on the card at the lower right corner but is small and difficult to see.
Lighthouses have a tower with lamps or lenses that shine light out to sea or on inland waterways as aids in ship navigation. They mark the places were coastlines are dangerous, where there are hazardous shoals and reefs, but also where there are safe entries to harbors. Today the use of electronic navigational systems has resulted in the decommissioning of some older lighthouses.
Before lighthouses were built fires on hilltops were used to guide the mariners. Lighthouses have existed for centuries. The famous ancient lighthouse the Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt collapsed following a series of earthquakes in 956 and 1323.
The first lighthouse tower to be fully exposed to the sea was built by Henry Winstanley from 1696 to 1698. It was a wooden, octagonal structure anchored to the rocks by 12 stanchions and located in the English Channel at The Eddystone Rocks that were major shipwreck hazards. John Smeaton later rebuilt that original lighthouse in 1756-1759 using granite blocks and shaped more like a tree. He used a technique developed by the Romans, something called hydraulic lime, a cement that set under water. He also used dovetail joints and marble dowels to improve the stability of the structure. His design with a wider base and tapered top was the prototype for modern lighthouses.
Even after more modern lighthouses were built the main source of fuel for the lights was wood or burning coal. Over a period of many years, several innovations were tried and used such as tinted glass around the wicks, use of a mantle suspended over the flame to create a bright steady light; the use of whale oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil supplied by a gravity feed reservoir above the burner. Advances in the 19th century included improved lenses, rotating and colored lights, and the introduction of electricity.
For additional information and examples of Rangner’s artwork, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse
https://rangnerfineart.com/
http://rangnerpaintingsoftheday.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment