Creating “The Two Lighthouses, Whitby”
Digital Print – Digital (Giclée) on Fine Art Paper 240Gsm
The Harbour, Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, UK
This landscape art print shows the two lighthouses on the end of the harbour piers at the British seaside town of Whitby.
Whitby is on the East Coast of Yorkshire, in the North of England. Its harbour has two piers, and each one has a lighthouse on the end.
Lighthouses of character
One lighthouse is taller than the other, and they look like they were built at different times. They were.
The taller one in the foreground was built 16 years before the smaller of the two in the background, according to records. This is why they're not identical twins.
I'm only aware of one other coastal town in the UK with two lighthouses on its harbour: St Ives in Cornwall. (You might know otherwise)
Unlike in St Ives, the newer Whitby lighthouse did not replace the older one. In Whitby, they operated at the same time, helping boats navigate the tricky approach to the harbour entrance.
A seaside town with stories to tell
These two beacons stand at the entrance to a harbour with an ancient history.
It includes invasions, battles, trading, alum quarrying, shipbuilding, ship wrecks, departures on epic adventures, and of course, the arrival of notable vampires (Are there any other kinds of vampire, other than notable ones?).
The lights add another tale to the rich history of this small Yorkshire town on the coast. Include the Abbey and the rock formation on the horizon, called Saltwick Nab, and you have a piece of art that's full of interest, intriguing stories and most of all, walks in the bracing salty sea air.
I've visited Whitby many times. I've lots of sketches and some plein-air paintings of Whitby's harbour, abbey, and beaches.
The place draws me back time and again, not only for a grand day out by the sea, but seeking inspiration for art too. I usually see ideas for paintings and prints everywhere I go. At Whitby, I'm bombarded by ideas, almost every few steps, turn this way or that – they're everywhere!
The one thing I'm never short of is inspiration. It would be good if I could turn it off sometimes, in truth. Why? Because my list of art‑to‑make grows and grows, overwhelming me at times.