Peterson, a Minnesota native, said he is donating the original, when it is completed, partially because of his longtime personal friendship with Tim Harrison, who is now cochairman of the Friends of Little River Lighthouse, saying, “ I first met Harrison many years ago, and I was impressed by his dedication to the lighthouse preservation movement that he was leading at that time through the nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation. Today I am equally impressed at Harrison’s continuing dedication for preserving lighthouses through the pages of his widely distributed magazine “Lighthouse Digest.”

After originally meeting Harrison, he donated an original work of art of the Cape Neddick “Nubble” Lighthouse in York to be used as a fundraiser for the American Lighthouse Foundation.  Since then Peterson has donated other works of art for other lighthouses, including one of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse that was also used as a fundraiser for the American Lighthouse Foundation.

In 2003 Peterson wrote Adventures & Reflections of An Artist, and he asked Harrison to write the forward to the highly acclaimed book. Some of Peterson’s many lighthouse works of art include Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina, Newport Harbor Lighthouse in Rhode Island, Old Point Loma Lighthouse in California, Long Island Lighthouse in Wisconsin, and Avery Point Lighthouse in Connecticut.

Peterson, along with his wife Kathy, are planning to travel to Maine this summer where he will be present at the “Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge,” to be held in downeast Maine on Aug. 9. Peterson will be in Cutler at that time to autograph prints of his image of Little River Lighthouse, which will be available for sale at that time, with all proceeds going directly to the lighthouse.

Most of Peterson’s works of art are commissioned and, depending on the size and the scope of the artwork, sell for several thousand dollars or more. The original Little River Lighthouse image is expected to be valued at approximately $1,800.00.

Harrison said the Friends of Little River Lighthouse would hopefully soon start selling raffle tickets for the Peterson’s original artwork and hope to have enough tickets sold by the time of the August “Lighthouse Challenge” event when a winning name can be drawn. “Hopefully, we can have Peterson, draw the winner,” said Harrison, who went on to say. an announcement on the cost of the raffle tickets will be made as soon as Peterson completes the image.

To learn more about Peterson’s artwork go on-line to www.lighthouse-artist.com, and to learn more about Little River Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, go to www.LighthouseFoundation.org or call Little River Lighthouse 259-3833.