The thin slab that is the Northern tip of Newfoundland is all that interrupts legions of blue under the domed roof of the lantern room. And yet, as dazzling as the horizon is, the light that shines from within the stone tower is even more brilliant. There, hundreds of pieces of cut glass intensify the beacon, casting its light far and wide.

Sa belle lumière: Lightscapes of Point Amour is an expression of love for the light from within. Brushstrokes like cut glass carry the light of this Labrador landscape using unexpected, playful hues. Presented by Point Amour Lighthouse and Santini Gallery (summer 2022) with funding support from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (Heritage NL), Jenn Thornhill Verma’s Sa belle lumière garnered local media attention and the story behind it is premise of her next book.

A hundred years after her great grandmother, Lucy Bolger, worked as a maid servant at Point Amour, the artist, Jenn Thornhill Verma, returned to walk in her footsteps and follow her light. Sa belle lumière is also a nod to Lucy, one of the light-station staff who responded to the crash of the HMS Raleigh, on August 8, 1922, when the ship ran aground in the shallow waters of Forteau Bay, about 0.5 km south of Point Amour Lighthouse. 

In September 2021, the artist set up her oil paints beneath the tower in the gallery space where the collection is featured. At that time, the 2022 art exhibit was not on her mind, but inspired by Lucy, the lighthouse and Labrador too, the artist’s visible brushstrokes, distinct on the canvas, became one landscape, then another and another. 

Sa belle lumière: Lightscapes of Point Amour is a collection of oil landscapes on canvas, all custom (maple) framed. The exhibit draws inspiration from vantage points on and around the light-station – from L’Anse Amour to the light-tower itself.

Accompanying the exhibit was a digital art gallery experience, where visitors could see the vantage points that inspired each painting. This page features samples of that experience.

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^{© 2024 Jenn Thornhill Verma}