🕯️ The Unlit Lighthouse and the Hidden Skull: The Story Behind When the Beacon Fails

Not every painting begins with a grand vision—sometimes, it starts with a question.This one began when a student approached me with a simple request: “Can we paint a ship?”

From that moment, When the Beacon Fails began its long journey—one that would stretch over six months, shift artistic styles mid-course, and quietly take on a haunting life of its own.

⚓ A Teaching Moment That Took on a Life of Its Own

This piece was originally built as part of a collaborative teaching experience. Together, the student and I explored different compositions, refining and adjusting until a nautical scene began to take shape—one filled with fog, tension, and mystery. What you see now is my personal version of the piece we designed as inspiration for his own painting.

🎨 Bob Ross Roots, Traditional Finish

If parts of the painting feel familiar—especially the sky and the water—that’s because the piece began in a Bob Ross style, using his wet-on-wet technique. But when it came time to develop the lighthouse and the ship (a clipper, to be specific), I knew I wanted more detail than that method could offer.

We shifted gears and moved into more traditional oil techniques, using fine brushes, layered detail, and even preliminary sketches to bring out the sharpness and character of the ship.

💀 Hidden by Accident. Kept on Purpose.

One of the most talked-about elements in the painting wasn’t even planned.

While building out the upper clouds, I noticed something strange forming in the brushwork. There was a faint suggestion of a skull hidden in the swirling light and shadow. Once seen, it couldn’t be unseen—and it fit the uneasy tone of the piece perfectly. So I leaned into it, keeping it subtle, just eerie enough to linger in your mind.

The lighthouse, on the other hand, was intentional. Its beacon is dark. Not because it’s broken, but because I wanted the viewer to feel that sense of disorientation—the idea of being near land but still lost in the fog.

🖌️ Evolving for Six Months

This painting didn’t come together quickly. Over the course of half a year, I reworked different parts of it—changing direction more than once until I finally landed on the composition that felt right. It’s part planning, part instinct. Some areas were done freely, letting the oils and the moment guide me. Others, like the ship, were built with care and precision.

🖼️ What It Means Now

To me, When the Beacon Fails isn’t just a ship scene. It’s a metaphor—about the moments when the way forward isn’t clear, when the signals you depend on go dark, and all you have is your own sense of direction.

It’s a story that found me as much as I found it.

💰 When the Beacon Fails is available now.

• 24 x 48 inches

• Oil on stretched canvas

• Unframed

• $975

• Painted in Arvada, Colorado (2023)

👉 View or purchase the painting here