COMMISSIONS
“Why I Paint Fireflies”
Leni Berliner
Dancing Tree Arts, 2025
Well, why not?
Fireflies are beautiful, people like them, and similar spiritual meaning(s) are attributed to them in different places around the world. Fireflies are also endangered, and my interest in commissioning firefly paintings is to be able to help protect them while making you smile.
If you have wandered through my website you have seen two very different kinds of firefly paintings. What I call the sky high fireflies, are ones that rise above their usual habitat in shrubbery and trees, to become part of the twilight sky. I make these paintings tall and narrow and realistic on the ground. All you have to do is tell me what color you want the sky to be, and I will create a scene you and the fireflies will enjoy (see “Twilight Blue Fireflies”) as an example.
You can also ask me about my “sequins as fireflies” paintings. These tend to be more fantastic than realistic (see “Moonrise/Fireflies”), and they are great in a child’s bedroom, as the sequins reflect even very low levels of ambient light.
My favorite firefly story: in 1972 my parents took me on a “pre-college” tour of New England. In a completely unanticipated event, we found ourselves inside a tent in mid-July at a “Music at Marlboro” concert, in Vermont. The musicians — Pablo Casals, Yo-Yo-Ma and Rudolf Serkin played Schubert’s “Trout Quintet”, and fireflies danced inside the tent. Peerless.
Now that you’ve seen a sampling of my work, perhaps you’d like to consider commissioning art of a particular scene — it doesn’t have to be fireflies, of course, it could be a favorite beach— or color scheme, or size. If this interests you, get in touch with me so we can brainstorm and I can put together an agreement that answers all the questions. The best way to get in touch with me is via the Contact Form here.