There's something about our captivating California coast that intrigues and delights me. Whenever I set up my easel along the shore, my imagination takes flight.

When I began to paint this imposing lighthouse, I was lost in reverie. What would it be like, I wondered, if the keeper's house were more than the humble cottage that met my eyes? What if, instead, it matched the tower in grandeur and dignity?

I began to paint the answer to my questions, creating a scene that merges two of my great passions - elegant Victorian mansions and stalwart lighthouses. Here, in Victorian Light, is the wonderfully civilized formal grace of a great mansion married to the primal strength of a light tower.

Lighthouse keepers are notoriously lonely; their devotion to their duty is like a religious calling that cuts them off from communion with their fellow men. That's always bothered me a little; to me the lighthouse is a symbol of hope that should comfort us all.

That's why I've given this lighthouse keeper a home I would love to visit. The graceful filigreed cupolas, the white picket fence, the charming gazebo extending out over the water, the warm glow at twilight - it all says to me: "Welcome. This beacon of faith is yours to share."

--Thomas Kinkade