"No Holds Barred" pieces?

Curiosity prompts me to ask what collectors would envision as their ultimate "fantasy pieces" from Harbour Lights? By that, I mean how big, how comprehensive, how complex would they like a piece to go [remember...this is fantasy, so don't worry about cost!]. Was the Navesink piece about as large as anyone would want, or would pieces as big as, say, some of the earlier Lilliput Lane castles--or David Winter concoctions--be welcomed as an occasional, very special edition, such as a Twentieth Anniversary release or something perhaps once every five years or so? Example: a piece that would have both Heceta Head lighthouse and the Keepers' duplex, with something of the terrain and path between them; a Point Reyes that has more depth to the cliffs and a good section of the wonderful winding path down to it; a Coquille River with the ship rammed into it; or a 12" to 14" Cordouan that opens up to show the interior, etc. Perhaps pieces that would really evoke the environment of the locale, along the line of a diorama? Or a lost light restored in greater scale; or one of the unfortunate ones in the process of their collapse or destruction, etc.? Give your imaginations free reign and, for the moment, repress any urges toward conservatism! What is it that you would like to have, eating up most of the space on your dinning table or grand piano?

Danny

This one is going to take a little time to evaluate, but I do like the idea of dreaming big time.

Bert

I would think Point Bonita from the bridge to the point would be cool. Have to be a long piece to include the bridge, but given current abilities, it should be able to be a suspension bridge (i.e., the one on the model actually moves). Also be nice to include some of the height that is associated with the light, but would have to be done without making the model super tall.

The original Fort Niagara gets my vote. Not the one that's there now, the one that was atop the Fort. To do it justice, it would probably be larger than Navesink, especially if the complete Fort was included. Already have a place for it--ceilings are 8 feet, curio cabinet is 7 feet. Something less than a foot tall would fit there nicely. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I'm a self-proclaimed Harbour Lights traditionalist. I like the original way HL's were offered and I'm not a big fan of change. I don't want my HL's to have rubber feet and flashing lights.

Usually once a year or so Harbour Lights comes out with something less than desireable for my collection but I buy it anyways. I would not like to see Harbour Lights create a piece any larger than their basic dimensions of late. No more Navesinks! Keep all future pieces as a reasonable size.

I know you asked for people to forget being conservative but I can't help it.

Bob

I would like to see "Owl's Head in Maine" done up to scale "No Holds Barred".. Would make a very interesting scupture with the keeper's house and all included. Sure would have a lot to work with.

Bert

It's funny you should mention Owl's Head, Bert. That has been one of the most requested lights that has yet to be produced by Harbour Lights yet.

Maybe next year... Keep your fingers crossed, Buddy!

Bob

Danny, I love the idea of "Cordouan that opens to show the interior" . I would make the tallest Harbour Lights LE.

Have to keep trying on "Owl's Head". HL has to listen one of these days. They've always been real good in the past.

Bert

I have been asking for Owl's Head FOREVER!!! I
sure wish they would make it soon. Maybe next year.
As my "dream fantasy piece, I would loooove to see Point Bonita with the cliffs, suspension bridge and the tunnel.

Note to Dave H. and to Kay...

If you are drawn to Point Bonita, you may appreciate the two different paintings of the light by the aviation artist, etc., William Phillips, who is represented by The Greenwich Workshop. The greater portion of his output is of aircraft, but he also puts forth some really splendid, evocative landscapes from time to time. I haven't quite figured out how to do the "enabled" URL, yet, but you can copy these into the address line.

The Home Site for:

THE GREENWICH WORKSHOP
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/home.asp

The specific site for:

WILLIAM PHILLIPS
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/studio/studio_artist.asp?artistid=49

and the specific sites for the individual paintings of:

POINT BONITA, CA
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/details/default.asp?p=166&a=49&t=1&page=5&detailtype=artist
- and -
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/details/default.asp?p=2090&a=49&t=4&page=2&detailtype=artist

BATTERY POINT, CA
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/details/default.asp?p=161&a=49&t=1&page=5&detailtype=artist
- and -
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/details/default.asp?p=154&a=49&t=4&page=6&detailtype=artist

CAPE NEDDICK, ME
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/details/default.asp?p=159&a=49&t=1&page=5&detailtype=artist

PORTLAND HEAD, ME
http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/details/default.asp?p=149&a=49&t=1&page=6&detailtype=artist

Note to Bob M...

Actually, I pretty much agree with you, especially about the "rubber feet" and "blinking lights," although I have to admit that Harbour Lights did a much better job at effecting the lighted sculptures than I anticipated. Nevertheless, I'd rather that they not be "animated." :rolleyes: I also agree that I wouldn't want very many oversized pieces, because even the current production isn't as "handle-able" as the earlier pieces, and their detail-work is tipping them toward greater fragility, breakage, and flawed assemblage. [I notice that the production crew is having a greater and greater problem with getting the lanterns square with the towers, or with the brackets that support the platform ] In a perverse way, I almost prefer the monolith solidity and more intimate size of the 5500 Series. But, on the other hand, I can't envision a convincingly smaller Navesink. My overall inquiry is made with the idea that the oversized pieces would indeed be pretty infrequent in their release: as I proposed, maybe one every five years or so, or for signal anniversaries. Since I have no impact on what Harbour Lights does, I suspect that our collective, fantasy speculations won't have any influence on them! But, from time to time, I find it stimulating to imagine what might be possible and, from the point of my creating something, what might be doable and desirable. I was just wondering what other collectors might enjoy "rolling around in their minds" with regard to the notion of an ultimate Harbour Lights piece. Since we are automatically assuming that most collectors would want no more than one or two in their possession, this is why I wondered what others might enjoy dreaming up.

Count me in on a "Super" Owl's Head, ME piece with keepers house, cliff, and all the goodies!!! No cheap half-done pieces please.....

-or-

A Winter Harbor, ME piece which includes the whole island (island really isn't that big), with boat house, several pine trees and rocks. ALL OF IT!

I don't care how much, I'll pay it!! If I can't own the real thing (since I didn't have 1.25 million laying around last year to buy it)... I would rather pay for a "super duper" replica of it.

Hey Christopher...

I just took a gander at some photos of Winter Harbor. Actually, it looks quite do-able! Are you saying that the Spoontiques version just wasn't quite up to snuff? It's on its own little island, with trees and stuff! You're not going to raise the standards on me, now, are you? I'll log it into my brain bank as a potential project. Now...how about ALL of Block Island?!

Danny

In this lovely dreamland... I would love a collection of British Lighthouses - better than the John Hine versions and more of them.
But I guess that is not what HL is for.
As for size, our "thing" is LL ... so small is beautiful as far as we are concerned.
I would LOVE a LL of the Statue of Liberty for example!

Margret - Harbour Lights has already made a LLOM version of the Statue of Liberty. It is LL220 and sells for $12.95 US.

ooohhh thanks Rich Must see what we can do, when the daughter etc. in San Diego ask what we want for Christmas

Margaret, I don't know that Harbour Lights has actually declared a position. Obviously, it would focus on the lights in its greatest marketing area, but it has done a few international lights, and we could anticipate a smattering of others over time. Certainly, there are more than a few impressive lights in the British Isles [and France, too, among others], so I wouldn't give up hope. In fact, maybe you should 'make a little noise' and let HL know about your hopes.

Danny

I've never cared for the huge pieces like Hillsboro Inlet and Navesink, who the hell has room to display these monstrosities??? I'd be perfectly happy with a small GLOW-sized piece like "Old Tillamook Rock, OR", showing the light as it was originally designed (before winter storms necessitated the second concrete roof) in the midst of a wild winter storm, with huge waves smashing against the rocks and tower.

On the subject of international lights, how come the ones already released are such "dogs" in the eyes of original purchasers and secondary buyers? The lights look great but are poor sellers for some reason. Pick one up and take a serious look at it. They are very well done. Why should they be less popular that lights from this country?

Are buyers from the States partial to only lights from the States?

Bob

I don't know about others, but my budget is limited but my likes are not. I do think some of the Lights are just wonderful but if it comes to one of those that I am very unlikely to ever see in person vs one I have seen or will see, I will take the one I can get to. If I had the funds I would buy them all and add rooms to display them in (I got it bad don't I) but since I don't well you know what I mean. Again, I don 't know how others feel about it but this is my logic.

If I wanted to "make some noises" at HL, where would I email that to? Or to where to I write a snail mail letter?

Margaret,

Try sending your suggestions to Rachel Andrews at rachel@harbourlights.com or Becky Keeling at becky@harbourlights.com.

Adding a bit more to the topic at hand, I find too many international lights too fascinating to ignore, and the dim prospect of my ever visiting them makes having the replicas all the more valuable to me. Singing my same, old tired song, as a Kansan---I have very little reasonable hope of seeing the majority of the lights in the USA, but I collect the replicas nevertheless. Thank heavens I had the sense to acquire the pieces before stipulating that I had to visit the sites first. If I had imposed that limitation on myself, I would have only the lights from Oregon, which would make for a very concise collection of Harbour Lights! This is also the reason that I particularly enjoy the re-creation of the lost lights. [Refer to my earlier posting in another thread if you want my expanded response to the Harbour Light product.] In fact, responding to Rock's observations, I would even urge the re-creation of one of the four lighthouses in the Sundra Strait as the seismic wave from the eruption of Krakatoa oversweeps it. There are reliable representations of these lights available. I guess I don't view Harbour Lights, or any miniatures, as merely three-dimensional photographs to act as souvenirs of what I have actually seen, but as "portals" to help me envision and understand what I have not yet seen---or can never see. Everyone has a variable use or response to the pieces, so I'm definitely not advocating mine as the only one. I just happen to enjoy having a certain kind of manifested reality to hold in my hands and contemplate.

Danny

I love that, Danny. My tired old song is MONEY. I will never be able to go to all the places or purchase all the lighthouses, so I buy what most moves me. I display all my lights and, whenever someone expresses interest in a particular one, I love to tell them about it. Most people oh and ah over them but don't want to hear all the trivia into which I tend to get immersed. I keep telling myself that I have to quit talking.

Yes my song is about money too. But it is also abuot space. We have restricted our collection of lighthouse figurines (HL and otherwise) to lights we have actually seen "for real" because we have such a small house.
Our space is taken up with a collection of lighthouse stamps, covers other philatelic materials and of course postcards and also with my collection of bears (even though money makes that a hard thing to collect too!)
But we do like to see the figures of the lights and remember ... contemplate ... dream ...

I would like to see Harbour Lights do a production of the Columbus Lighthouse. This is one of the most unique lighthouses in the world.

Are you referring to this light?:

Columbus Lighthouse - lots of text

Picture

Very interesting picture

This is exactly the lighthouse I was talking about. While I know international lights have not been the most popular with collectors. I think the history and grandness of this lighthouse make it an excellent choice for production.

Certainly is a unique design.

Ugh...may be unique, but not exactly a curio shelf charmer...I'm afraid with domestic lights not selling well, international ones have limited appeal...

I have long been fascinated by the Columbus Lighthouse. There are many stamps with this light and its history is very interesting - maybe BECAUSE of the trouble it caused and all the difficulties.
But as a HL? I think I am with ROCK. It is not something to sit on a display shelve, is it? Then again, it would make a nice display if you could replicte the laser lights which surround the shape of the building and project its cross shape into the sky!

It would take up even more room than Navesink and could not be displayed to its advantage, I think. While I was looking through the link which Dave posted, I found a picture of another interesting light on Santo Domingo - it appeared to be yellow and black. I found it at http://www.leuchtturm-web.de/santodomingo.htm. Take a look; it's very unusual - reminds me of some of the European lights which Margret and Iris have posted.

I'm afraid clicking on that link won't work. If you will google Santo Domingo Lighthouses, then go to Punta Torrecilla, click on the link for the German photo. The lighthouse is a bright yellow with blue stripes.

Not to be a 'Killer of the Joy,' but if Harbour Lights makes an edition of the Columbus Lighthouse, that just might persuade me that it is time to close shop. While the structure is undeniably remarkable---or perversely fascinating---I suspect that it would not make a compelling piece. Where would they put the bicycle, picnic appurtenances, and the rowboat? Or the dog? And if it came lighted, I just might roll over and croak. [No fair urging them to produce it on that account alone!] Some buildings are meant to be appreciated only in real time. There are way too many "quaint and curious" lighthouses "of forgotten lore" waiting to be represented.

Danny

Danny, my pal, you and I should hang sometime...

To see the Punta Torrecilla lighthouse: http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/photos/Torrecilla.htm

I believe the light used to have these colors but it is now a bright yellow with blue bands and is angular rather than round. You need to go to the photo taken by a German lighthouse enthusiast. Margret, you know so much more than I about getting the right links on here. It is in the same Rowlett lighthouse index. If you have a minute, maybe you can find it and post it. Thanks!

http://www.leuchtturm-web.de/santodomingo.htm

Did you mean this one Grace?

That looks peculiar ... nearly made from wood ... Funny things these lighthouses ...

That's it! Thank you, Margret. According to the description it is a "square pyramidal" concrete tower. The USCG photo looks black and white but Bernd Claussen's picture captures the true colors. It was built in 1986. I spotted it when I was looking through the pictures on the link that Dave posted. It looked like it could be a lighthouse so that prompted me to start searching for a light with those markings. It's pretty unusual.

OK, now that the first half of the 2006 pieces has been announced ..... I would say that the Owls Head, Maine piece, as mentioned above, is not excatly what I would call a "No Holds Barred" piece. Actually, I am kind disappointed with it.

I guess I will keeping wishing for a "no Holds Barred" Winter Harbour, Maine piece .....