Frankfort Lighthouse

On the shore of Lake Michigan at Betsie Bay, the Frankfort Lighthouse is a symbol of the power of Lake Michigan.  It stands off shore at the end of a pier, and the winds that whip Lake Michigan into a frenzy of waves and whitecaps are often seen battering the pier and the lighthouse with a strength that is humbling to see. From this photo I took from shore on a windy day, I drew the pattern for the lighthouse standing as a sentinel as the whitecaps roll relentlessly toward shore.  I used the heavily textured aqua glass to show the depth of color that is characteristic of Lake Michigan (most people think of this as "Caribbean blue" but it is often the color of the Great Lakes) and the motion of the riled waters.  To create the details of Frankfort Light, I used wire overlays with black patina, cut glass, and paint.  I also used wire overlays to create the dune grass in the lower left corner, which is widely seen at the shores of the Great Lakes sprouting, seemingly impossibly, from the sand. This panel is part of a 3-panel grouping illustrating favorite natural and man-made features near my northern Michigan home.

• stained glass
• Baroque glass
• copper foil
• wire overlay