Nationally recognized local artist J. Craig Thorpe recently unveiled an exhibit at the Covenant Shores Lighthouse Gallery, which will last three months.

The exhibit consists of 35 paintings of architectural renderings, railroad posters and original work, which is all for sale.

Thorpe’s favorite subjects are railroad scenes and Pacific Northwest scenery, said Covenant Shores Chaplain Greg Asimakoupoulos.

Thorpe has lived in Newport Hills since the 1980s, becoming an associate minister at First Presbyterian Church in Seattle, though he had studied art and design at Carnegie Mellon.

Later, “he discovered that his real passion in life was serving people through paint and pen, rather than the pulpit,” Asimakoupoulos said.

Thorpe then became a graphic illustrator and professional artist, developing a unique specialty: art about railroads and transportation.

“Transportation issues have a theological connection, of preserving our environment and the beauty of that,” Asimakoupoulos said.

Thorpe’s work has been featured by Amtrak, including a collection of vignettes celebrating Amtrak’s 40th anniversary in 2011. He is widely known for these and commissions by other rail clients such as the White Pass and Yukon Route in Alaska.

As a longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Thorpe also loves to capture some of its most photographed vistas, including Mt. Rainier, Snoqualmie Falls and the Seattle skyline.

Thorpe is a man of many talents; he is also a bagpiper who performs at Seattle Pacific University’s annual Commencement.

The gallery is open to the public during regular business hours, from about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Lighthouse Gallery is located on the Covenant Shores campus (9150 Fortuna Drive), near the Health Center.

J. Craig Thorpe, the local artist featured at Covenant Shores, enjoys depicting the Northwest’s most iconic scenes, like Snoqualmie Falls. Image courtesy of J. Craig Thorpe