Artist Statement: Awesome" "Aim higher" "WooHooo" "Not so Close" "Yeah!" "What the hell?"

Everyone's an amateur. Everything's illegal. Everywhere something explodes. Few are sober. No one is safe. We're tightly packed on a beach with the celebration all around. They are not alone. Each year in America, over 300 million pounds of fireworks are set off, with 90% being ignited by non-experts. That's about one pound per person in the US.

Several years ago, we were just relaxing on our beach chairs watching the sunset, an hour later, ...a rocket whizzed and exploded right over our heads. The beach had been transformed into a makeshift celebration that lasted late into the night. The chaos was dangerous and exciting.

These asymmetrical explosions are a seductive and beautiful ephemeral mix of color, light, and energy. Some of the "exciting ones" are poorly aimed, others explode prematurely, but all illuminate the people and land below.

Of course, all of this happens on a beach where fireworks are expressly forbidden, and the law forbids possession and use of anything that explodes or travels more than 12 inches into the air. While some celebrate, others dread this event due to the wildfires it sets, the torment it causes those with PTSD, and the trauma it inflicts on pets.

This celebration is a mixed bag, but we have been seduced, and we will be back.