Sketch artist visits Cheboygan’s Front Range Lighthouse

CHEBOYGAN — It’s fun to meet folks stopping by Cheboygan’s Front Range Lighthouse.

Recently, when I was at the lighthouse watering the new garden on a weekday, a man drove up to the lighthouse, parked, and got a chair out of his car. He also carried a packet of pencils and a pad of drawing paper. He placed the chair at the edge of the lawn, at the corner of the lighthouse property, facing the bright red daymarks on the side of the lighthouse. Then he sat down, strapped the pencils to his leg, and began to draw.

Jim Lammers, from Minnesota, is an architect, sketcher, writer and arborist.

He is traveling around Michigan with the intent to sketch the picturesque and accessible lighthouses among Michigan’s historic 129. His last stop, earlier in the day, was Mackinaw City, where he sketched Old Mackinaw Point and McGulpin Point Lighthouses. His next destination was Rogers City, to sketch 40 Mile Point Lighthouse. Lammers is compiling sketches for his next book, with the working title, "Lighthouses of the Great Lakes: An Architect’s Sketchbook."

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The sketching was quick. It took about 15 minutes. Lammers pointed out that he used a bit of artist’s license — and eliminated the rear addition to the lighthouse that was added when the Coast Guard used it as an office and command center. Overhead power lines were also omitted.

Check out some lighthouses, more artwork and books published at jimsketcher.com.

Sherry Nelson is a member of Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. She volunteers at the Cheboygan Front Range Lighthouse, occasionally giving tours of that lighthouse and the Cheboygan Crib Light.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Sketch artist visits Cheboygan’s Front Range Lighthouse