Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence by artist Sara Steele is located in the West Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Steele described the mural in an artist statement: “The original ‘Bioluminescence’ painting was done after my first time snorkeling in the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Sunlight streaking through water magnified the elegant forms of coral, shells, and sea creatures and illuminated a rainbow of color in the undersea world. Although Mt. Airy is far from those tropical waters, it is an equally colorful community in which I’ve been privileged to spend much of my life. I enjoyed adapting the painting for use on a large scale, and am delighted to have created a mural in the community I’ve known and loved for so long.

“I paint primarily in watercolor, and although I work on a large scale, working on the side of a building while standing in a cherry picker was quite an adventure. I was ably assisted in painting the mural by Delia King, whose suggestions about glazing allowed us to approximate the vitality and clear colors of my watercolor paintings. I look forward to working more in this medium.”