Overview
Burkehaven Lighthouse is a serene maritime landscape by Sally Bourdon. Painted in oil on canvas, the 20" x 24" composition captures the historic Burkehaven Lighthouse on Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, at twilight.
The painting explores the quiet dialogue between changing seasons and shifting elements, as a blazing golden sunset reflects across churning water and frames the solitary white beacon.
Specifications
Artist: Sally Bourdon
Title: Burkehaven Lighthouse
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 20" x 24"
Style and Composition
Sally presents an atmospheric marine landscape across a substantial horizontal canvas. The composition centers on the distinctive square wooden lighthouse standing on its stone crib base. Positioned just right of center, the lighthouse’s crisp white facade rests in soft evening shadow, while its left side catches a subtle glint of breaking twilight.
The painting’s drama unfolds through its sweeping relationship between sky and water. On the left, the sky erupts into cadmium yellow, golden apricot, and pale amber clouds drifting across a blue-violet atmosphere.
Below, the lake surface becomes active and luminous. Churning currents shift from deep teal and sapphire blue into fluid ribbons of yellow reflection where the water catches the sky. A dark silhouetted tree line anchors the far shore, adding depth and giving the scene a peaceful, timeless New England character.
- Artistic style: Impressionistic realism with a contemporary maritime focus.
- Composition: A horizontal landscape with an asymmetrical rule-of-thirds structure, anchored by the dark shoreline and the vertical lighthouse form.
- Focal point: The stark white lighthouse and its dark reflection provide the central visual anchor.
- Color palette: Brilliant cadmium yellow, amber, and apricot gold are balanced by deep sapphire, teal, and periwinkle blue.
- Lighting and atmosphere: High-drama twilight lighting and backlit cloud formations create a fresh, tranquil, and nostalgic lakeside mood.
Application and Stylistic Technique
- Brushwork and mark-making: Loose, expressive handling shapes the scene, with long horizontal passes blending the sky and wavy, overlapping strokes building the movement of the water.
- Layering and depth: Warm yellow sky and water reflections pull forward, while the darker, low-contrast shoreline recedes into the distance.
- Materials and handling: Heavy-body oil paint on stretched canvas supports textured clouds, fluid water passages, and visible painterly energy.
Inventory Status: Available for purchase online or in the gallery.
Shipping / Pickup: Shipping is available, with items securely packaged in professional archival materials, insured, and shipped globally; complimentary local pickup is also available at our 23 North Main Street gallery.
