Artist exhibits lighthouse-themed work

Published in the Ocean County Observer 09/4/05

By ADAM TALIERCIO
Staff Writer

TOMS RIVER — Donna Elias knew she had a passion for art at a young age. The passion for lighthouses, however, came later.

This weekend, as part of Toms River's First Friday, the Atlantic County resident had her work on display at the Ocean County Historical Museum in Toms River.

Elias started painting at the age of 12, and was drawing caricatures on the Atlantic City boardwalk by the age of 16. It took a few more years and a few other jobs as a retail manager before she was able to make painting her profession, but after opening a gallery in Cape May, she found a theme that would draw enough attention to make her work available throughout the country.

"It was several years back; I had a little gallery in Cape May," Elias recalled. "I started painting some of the local historical buildings, the little bed and breakfasts there. And I became aware of the Cape May lighthouse, and started painting some renditions of it. Lighthouses have a historical significance, and they have a lot of beauty because of where they're located; they have a romantic aspect to them."

People visiting the gallery became interested in her lighthouse paintings, and began sharing their own stories about lighthouses with Elias, which inspired her to start touring lighthouses in the New Jersey area.

She began with a series of about 12 pieces, and continued to add to the collection as she learned about more lighthouses. The collection has now grown to between 250 and 300 pieces, and is titled the "Great American Lighthouse" series. It depicts lighthouses all along the Eastern Seaboard, Great Lakes and West Coast. She doesn't exclusively paint lighthouses, but everything she does paint is related to the shore.

"It all has a shore theme, all a maritime theme, a beach theme," Elias said. "I grew up here on the beach, so it's a passion for me to be able to take these different scenes. I like to depict shore life, whether it's sandpipers on the beach, a cottage with a boat outside of it that's worn away by wind and surf. I like to paint historic structures related to the water; anything to do with the water. I guess I'm kind of an old salt in a way."

Elias starts working on a lighthouse painting usually by traveling to the grounds and taking photographs all around the lighthouse. She tours it, learns about the history of the site, and then returns home to develop the photos and determine the perspective she wants to use. After some rough renderings and a pencil illustration, she chooses her paints and works on the final product.

"It's intriguing, it has a link to the past," she said of her subject. "These buildings are over 100 years old, and it gives you a feeling when you're at one that you're part of the past, and part of history. You can imagine these keepers maintaining a lighthouse, having families, saving lives of wrecked ships and you just become engulfed in that whole maritime past. There are very few structures around that link you to that past, especially along the ocean."

Another series Elias created, the "Heroes of the American Coast," depicts U.S. lifesaving stations, a number of buildings constructed along the Eastern Seaboard that were dedicated to rescuing people from shipwrecks in the early 1900s. A third series, "By the Seaside," is also beach-related, featuring scenes along the shore: cottages, boats, and other images common to the coast.

"I pretty much stay in the maritime theme, that's a favorite of mine," she said. "I've had people ask if I would paint barns and other things, and it's just not really an interest of mine. I'm pretty much a beach person. I live on the shore, and that's just a passion of mine: maritime history and anything related to the beach. The seaside, pretty much, is my passion."

Elias' company, Resort Graphics, which she runs with her husband and partner, Les Kammerman, has been around for 14 years. Her work is for sale in stores and gift shops throughout the country, and she is currently working with the Danbury Mint, which wishes to use her work for a collection of commemorative patches.

Having a small staff to assist her with business matters gives Elias the opportunity to travel, visit other locations and find new lighthouses and other historic buildings to add to the collection.

"I feel very fortunate that I"m able to do that," she said. "It's still a lot of work, but I'm very grateful I can do that."

She spends most of the summer traveling, and then returns to her studio in Atlantic City and paints through the fall. She also participates in a number of lighthouse benefits around the country.

Pieces from each of her different collections were exhibited and up for sale. Her prints range in price from about $10 to $25, she said. Elias also signed prints and talked about her work with visitors to the exhibit.

"I really enjoy this work," she said. "I enjoy all the people that I meet, and listening to their stories. I get letters from all around the country of people that have collected my work; it reminds them of their time spent at the shore, vacationing or fishing. Or going to the lighthouse, learning about lighthouse history; things they've never been exposed to before."

Published on September 4, 2005, in the Ocean County Observer