Sun Glitter

C Fi 9952

To connect and calm the mind, one may rely on sun glitter - the bright, sparkling light formed when sunlight reflects from water waves. The waves may be caused by natural movement of the water, or by the movement of birds or animals in the water. Even a ripple from a thrown rock will create a momentary glitter.

Scientifically speaking, light reflects from smooth surfaces by specular reflection. A rippled but locally smooth surface such as water with waves will reflect the sun at different angles at each point on the surface of the waves. As a result, a viewer in the right position will see many small images of the sun, formed by portions of waves that are oriented correctly to reflect the sun's light to the viewer's eyes. The exact pattern seen depends on the viewer's precise location. The color and the length of the glitter depend on the altitude of the Sun. The lower the sun appears, the longer and more reddish the glitter is. When the sun is really low above the horizon, the glitter breaks because of the waves, which could sometimes obstruct the sun and cast a shadow on the glitter.

Artist

David Hammel

David's entire family participated in creating this piece. They love to support each other in their individual activities and like tp participate in family projects. David is a professional artists and encourages his children to explore and develop skills that help them to appreciate and understand the arts. "Our family enjoys camping, kayaking, and many other outdoor activities. My daughter enjoyed the side walk at project so much, she has decided to paint her own section."

David Hammel's family settled in Florida in the early 1880s. David was raised in the Fort Myers and surrounding areas. He graduated from the Ringling College of Art and Design in 1988. while David has always maintained his pottery and sculpture studio he has also held many other jobs such as ceramic instructor for the Cape Coral art studio, the Arts Alliance pottery instructor in Fort Myers and the clay instructor at the Von Liebig Art Center in Naples. David has also been a contract teacher for many organizations teaching at risk teens and special needs populations. He has also been a kayak fishing guide and an animal tracker for wildlife mitigation. He now resides in Sarasota with his wife and two daughters.




You may see some of David's art work on Facebook under davidhammelart.