Sparks

Sparklers are a tradition of the July 4th holiday for children of all ages. This painting was inspired by some blurry photographs taken during the holiday weekend in 2008. I wanted to express both the “persistence of vision” phenomenon and the movement of sparks flying off the colorful hand-held fireworks. To achieve that effect in the painting, I used a variety of iridescent acrylic paints and gels, matte and gloss varnishes, and a special phosphorescent gel medium that gives the painting a special “glow in the dark” quality.