The creative spark

Local painter finds inspiration from the Punta Gorda Lighthouse

The historic Punta Gorda Lighthouse sits in solitude overlooking the Pacific Ocean along the Lost Coast Trail.

The rustic beacon — first lit in 1912 — was deactivated in the early 1950s. The property, located 12 miles south of Cape Mendocino, has since been managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Last year, the BLM completed a four-month-long restoration project of the structure (and surrounding area), which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976.

Artistic inspiration

The Lost Coast Trail and Punta Gorda Lighthouse first caught the attention of local painter Shawn Gould more than two decades ago.

“On my first camping trip to the Lost Coast in 2002,” Gould said, “I was struck by the mostly untouched wildness of the place. The only real access points to the 25-mile stretch of coastline are at each end — the mouth of the Mattole River near Petrolia on the north and Shelter Cove on the south. Around three miles south of the Mattole River trailhead, the Punta Gorda Lighthouse … appears suddenly as you come around a bend in the trail — clinging to its bit of flat land between the steep King Range Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It's a perfect destination for a day hike or convenient resting stop if you're heading deeper into the Lost Coast.

He added, “It would be hard for me to pin down a favorite spot along the Lost Coast, but the lighthouse is definitely a favorite destination, because I can make it out there and back in a day. It is all so dramatic and wild.”

Gould — who has returned to that area and the lighthouse a number of times over the last 20plus years — has created a new series of acrylic paintings showcasing the Punta Gorda Lighthouse and Lost Coast Trail. An exhibit of the work, “The Art of Getting Lost,” is on display now through May 19 at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, 636 F St., Eureka. An Arts Alive! reception is set for Saturday, April 6, from 6 to 9 p.m.

“The imagery is entirely from the Lost Coast and mostly from the immediate area around the lighthouse,” Gould said. “The only real departure is `Redwood Canopy,' which depicts the forested King Range above the Lost Coast.”

Gould says it takes him about an hour and a half to drive from his home to the northern trailhead outside of Petrolia, plus

“It would be hard for me to pin down a favorite spot along the Lost Coast, but the lighthouse is definitely a favorite destination, because I can make it out there and back in a day. It is all so dramatic and wild.” — Shawn Gould, local painter

another couple of hours for the three-mile hike out to the lighthouse. Most of his research for this current art project was done during day hikes to the lighthouse, although he says he has camped out in the area several times.

“It has been so rewarding to take on this subject and really do the kind of deep dive that I don't usually have time to do,” Gould said. “I love the whole journey from my house down to the Lost Coast. It's a timeless place where the `real world' doesn't exist, and by the time I reach the lighthouse, I am truly lost within myself and the dramatic beauty of the place. Just being there and soaking up the inspiration that surrounds me is so refreshing. I always feel recharged and ready to create when I return from one of my trips down there.”

This new body of work is due in large part to Gould receiving a Victor Thomas Jacoby Award from the Humboldt Area Foundation in 2021. It was the spark he needed to return to this subject he began exploring so many years ago.

Over the years, Gould had created a few paintings based on trips to the Lost Coast, but inevitably got pulled away by other projects and commitments. Despite this, he always wanted to go back and continue what he'd started.

“The Victor Thomas Jacoby Award … provided critical funds for me to take on a project of this size and scope,” Gould said. “I spent nearly half of my time over the past two years working to create the 20 paintings that make up the exhibition. Receiving the award also gave me the push I needed to jump in with both feet and just go for it.”

The Morris Graves Museum of Art is open to the public noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Admission is by donation: $5 for adults; $2 for seniors (age 65 and over), military veterans and students with ID; and free for children 17 and under, families with an EBT card and valid ID and museum members. Admission is free for everyone

on the first Saturday of every month.

Information on day hiking to the Punta Gorda Lighthouse and backpacking the Lost Coast Trail safely is available from the BLM King Range Office at 707-986-5400.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHAWN GOULD This acrylic painting is titled “Punta Gorda Lighthouse.” “The lighthouse clinging to its toehold between the steep King Range Mountains and Pacific Ocean,” painter Shawn Gould said of the work.

“Niche Living” is another work by Shawn Gould inspired by the Punta Gorda Lighthouse. He said, “Barn swallows find their niche in this rugged environment, nesting in the lighthouse and nearby pump house.”

Artist Shawn Gould says of this work titled “Redwood Canopy”: “A pair of ravens fly through the redwoods that drink in the fog coming off the ocean.”

COURTESY OF SHAWN GOULD “Watching You Watching Me” is an acrylic painting by Shawn Gould. Of the image, he said, “A harbor seal keeps pace with me as I hike down the beach. Not sure which of us is more curious.”