About the Artist: Throughout the 20th century only a handful of lighthouse travel posters were ever made. Alan Claude, influenced by American realist painter Edward Hopper and European travel posters of the 1920’s, decided he wanted to honor America’s lighthouses with a certain freshness of expression. Working with pen & ink, photography, and digital illustration, he created the Lighthouse Collection Series –a bold and dramatic interpretation of Maine, Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard lighthouses.
“When I get up just before sunrise, I look at the sky and if it is glorious with dabs of yellow and orange and accented magenta clouds... I think... what would it be like at Pemaquid Point Light or some other Maine lighthouse at this very moment?”
Alan Claude was born in Virginia in 1967. When he was 4 years old he and his family to the town of Biarritz in the South of France. Captivated by a very tall lighthouse that stood on a nearby cliff, Alan’s affection with lighthouse grew over the 6 years he spent playing on the beach in France.
In 1980 he moved to San Francisco, dabbling in various small businesses including a gift store and an art greeting card company. In 1996 an opportunity arose to design a series of beer logos for a new restaurant, The Beach Chalet, located at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Inspired by local historical events and places Alan illustrated the beer logos in a retro poster style. The beer logos were a big hit and still are to this day.
In 1998 with Point Bonita lighthouse overlooking the entrance of the Golden Gate, Alan met his future wife Erin at the Beach Chalet. Within a year, Alan Claude and Erin Skehan started ACES Design. Named after their first initials, they designed corporate identities and advertising for companies all over the United States. The internet allowed ACES Design the freedom to live anywhere so they moved to Maine (Erin’s home state) where they could start a family while still keeping their clients. One early September morning in 2004, Alan and Erin exchanged vows at Marshall Point Light in Port Clyde, Maine. This wonderful experience and consequential visits to other lighthouses on the beautiful Maine coast inspired Alan to create his Lighthouse Collection Series.