A close-up of a sun disc created by Judith Niland.
nity to do what I’ve always wanted to do,
which is to be a stay-at-home artist.”
She makes the flat, round discs by using
a hard acrylic that she melts down in a
small oven through a long, slow process.
In the end, they look almost like glass but
are more durable, enabling them to be used
inside or outside.
The sun discs range in size, though
most fall between 6 to 12 inches. Some-
times Niland will string two together
with fishing line, or attach 12 discs to a
tree branch or piece of driftwood, as can
be seen in her work at Luminari Arts.
She also designs smaller pieces that are
lightweight and puffy — she calls them
“fluffies.”
“People like them because they look
like they’re floating through air,” she said.
She was inspired to start creating the
discs and fluffies by a gift she received for
Christmas. One of Niland’s friends, who
works at a daycare, had her class make an
art project that involved melting beads and
stringing them on wire. Niland hung the
artwork she received in her backyard.
“I started looking at them and thinking,
‘What if you take that a little further?’”
she said.
She put her own spin on idea, which
resulted in the light-catching sun discs.
Since she started, her process has evolved
as a result of experimentation; the pieces
are smoother and shinier. She was origi-
nally using permanent markers to color the
discs, but now adds high-quality inks or
uses plastics that already have pigmenta-
tion. Sometimes bubbles will form, or she
will incorporate marbles as an effect. As a
result, each piece looks unique.
Developing a unique process
‘Comfort and meditation’
Continued from Page 8
Niland has made the acrylic sun discs
and fluffies for about five years, although
not “as fully and intensely” as she cur-
rently is.
Niland works out of a ventilated stu-
dio set up in her garage. On nice days, she
can open the door and interact with pass-
ersby, which she tends to see a lot of as her
A collection of sun discs Niland created.
house is situated on Exchange Street, near
the “Goonies House.” People can stop by
her place and look at the sun discs she has
hung up in her yard, while she is able to
converse with them from a distance.
She also takes custom orders based on
the colors people prefer and ships them.
Most of her business is drummed up
through word of mouth and her Facebook
page, Art & Spirit Creations by Judith P
Niland.
Niland is unsure what the future holds
for this latest endeavor, especially once
the pandemic subsides and the community
fully reopens. She expects she won’t see as
many neighbors and other people out for
walks, which could mean less exposure —
but she thinks having more tourists in town
is likely to have a positive impact.
However, her goal was never to turn the
art into a full-time business or main source
of income. She sells enough of the sun
discs to maintain her supplies.
“It was really about how much it helped
my health and sanity,” she said. “It’s been
a great source of comfort and meditation
… Anytime you practice creativity, you’re
putting a positive energy into the world.”
Whether she continues with this artistic
focus long-term or finds something new to
try, as she is prone to do, for now, she said,
“I just want to melt plastic in my garage.”
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 // 9