Well, let me tell you, I saw some pictures the other day, pictures of them Leo Kuschel paintings. He painted them lighthouses, you know? Them big ol’ things that shine lights out on the water. One of ’em, it was the Detroit lighthouse. Yeah, that’s the one. Big and tall, standing there like it owns the whole dang river.
This fella, Leo, he sure could paint. Born on September 28th, someone told me. He made pictures of boats, too. Big ones that haul stuff on the water. Called ’em freighters. And them lighthouses, all different kinds. One was called Grosse Ile. Ain’t that a funny name? It’s the biggest one on the Detroit River. Another one, this picture, it had snow all around. Real pretty, like a winter day up at Mackinac Point. That’s in Michigan, you know.
I saw these pictures, they was all numbered, like 346 out of 500. Means he only made 500 of ’em, I reckon. Makes ’em special, I guess. This Leo, he’s gone now. Passed away on April 12. Lived to be 83, that’s what I heard. But his pictures, they’re still around. Folks like ’em, hang ’em on their walls.
- Leo Kuschel, he painted lighthouses.
- He painted the Detroit lighthouse.
- He painted other things, too, like boats.
- His pictures are numbered.
- He died on April 12, at 83.
One picture, it had three lighthouses in it! All lined up. One was that Detroit Light, and another was that Grosse Ile one again. It was a painting, mind you, not a real picture. But it looked real, that’s for sure. He was good, this Leo. Real good. Another had two, one was from Presque Isle, that’s on Lake Huron. The other one was from Lake Superior, called Point Iroquois. Them pictures all framed, all ready to put up on a wall. Make a room look real nice, I bet.
People like to buy these pictures, these Leo Kuschel paintings. Especially the ones of the lighthouses. They remind folks of the water, I guess. And them big boats. And the lights shining out in the dark, keeping folks safe. He knew how to paint them lights, that Leo. Made ’em look like they was really shining.
I tell ya, these pictures, they’re somethin’ else. You look at ’em and you can almost smell the water, hear the waves. And that Detroit lighthouse, standin’ there so tall and proud. It’s like a piece of history, right there in the picture. You don’t see many fellas paintin’ like that no more.
They say this fella, Leo, he was famous for his paintings. “Renowned”, that’s the word they used. Means a lot of people knew about him and liked his work. And it’s easy to see why. He had a way of making them lighthouses and boats look so real, so alive. It’s like you could just step right into the picture and be there.
- Leo Kuschel was a famous painter.
- People loved his paintings of lighthouses.
- His paintings look very real.
- The Detroit lighthouse is in a lot of his paintings.
These Leo Kuschel paintings, they’re like a little window into another world. A world of water and boats and lighthouses. A world that maybe ain’t so different from ours, but it sure is pretty to look at. It’s good that we have these pictures to remember him by, this Leo fella. He may be gone, but his lighthouses, they’ll keep shining on, right there on the canvas.
Folks in Asheville, someone said they saw a pair of ’em in a frame. Tawas and Mackinaw Point. That’s on Lake Huron too. That big lake. Sure are a lot of lighthouses up there. I reckon you need ’em, with all that water and all them boats. This Leo, he sure did like to paint ’em, didn’t he?
You know, looking at these pictures, these paintings of the Detroit lighthouse and all the others, it makes you think. Makes you think about the folks who built them lighthouses, way back when. Makes you think about the folks who kept them lights shining, night after night. It’s hard work, I bet. But important work. And this Leo, he captured it all in his paintings. He made it so we could all see it, all understand it. That’s a special gift, that is.
Well, I reckon that’s all I got to say about them Leo Kuschel paintings and that Detroit lighthouse. They’re somethin’ special, that’s for sure. Somethin’ worth lookin’ at, somethin’ worth rememberin’. And that Leo, he was somethin’ special, too. A real artist, that one. He sure knew how to make them lighthouses shine.
