Souza said her work was inspired by a recent visit to the lighthouse. While she was there, a bus from Pennsylvania dropped off a large number of tourists. There were so many people bustling in and out of the gift shop with smiling faces that she thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to see that no one was forgotten on Christmas, especially that jolly old man who is doing so much for everyone else?” Her painting shows Rudolph coming out of the gift shop carrying a gift for Santa.

The painting also illustrates the spirit of the ship that was wrecked on the lighthouse rocks on Christmas Eve so many years ago.

This is the tenth year that Souza, a Wells resident, has painted a Christmas cover for the lighthouse news and history magazine based in East Machias.

Previous works include West Quoddy Lighthouse in Lubec, Owls Head Lighthouse in Owls Head, Little River Lighthouse in Cutler, Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Wood Island Lighthouse in Biddeford Pool, and Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockland.

Souza has been painting lighthouses since she was a youngster, selling her first lighthouse painting when she was twelve years old. “I loved her artwork the first time I saw it,” said Tim Harrison, editor and publisher of Lighthouse Digest. He went on to say, “When I asked her to do a cover for us ten years ago, I wasn’t sure if she would agree to do a whimsical painting, which is what I was looking for. She agreed and it’s now become a Lighthouse Digest Christmas tradition.”  In referring to the vintage covers of the Saturday Evening Post, Harrison went on to say, “In my opinion, Virginia Souza is the Norman Rockwell of lighthouses.”

All of Souza’s lighthouse prints are available from Lighthouse Depot on U. S. Route 1 in Wells by calling 1-800-758-1444 or visiting their web site at www.LighthouseDepot.com.

To learn more about Lighthouse Digest, or to subscribe or order a gift subscription to the magazine, you can call them at 800-668-7737 or visit their web site at www.FogHornPublishing.com