Periods of rain. Low 44F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Periods of rain. Low 44F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.

Judith Niland, of Astoria, uses her ventilated garage as a space to create acrylic sun discs.

In addition to her flat, round sun discs, Judith Niland also creates smaller, puff versions that she calls fluffies.

A collection of sun discs Niland created.

A close-up of a sun disc created by Judith Niland.

Judith Niland, of Astoria, uses her ventilated garage as a space to create acrylic sun discs.

Last spring, Judith Niland found herself unexpectedly cut off from theater and other social activities that typically filled her time. Meanwhile, a pre-existing health condition made it necessary for her to stay mostly quarantined, to avoid contracting the coronavirus.

“Once the pandemic hit, I wasn’t going anywhere,” she said.

The initial impact of the shutdown last March was severely felt by Niland, who lives in Astoria and likes to stay busy. She was getting ready to open the annual “Real Lewis and Clark Story” at the Astor Street Opry Company. When it became clear that postponing the production would evolve into canceling the show altogether, she fell back on another art form: creating acrylic sun discs.

“All the things I did were broken, the normal chain,” she said. “I turned it around in my own head, because I do think everything happens for a reason … I decided it was the universe giving me the opportunity 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. Sometimes 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.

Niland has made the acrylic sun discs and fluffies for about five years, although not “as fully and intensely” as she currently is.

In addition to her flat, round sun discs, Judith Niland also creates smaller, puff versions that she calls fluffies.

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 originally using permanent markers to color the discs, but now adds high-quality inks or uses plastics that already have pigmentation. Sometimes bubbles will form, or she will incorporate marbles as an effect. As a result, each piece looks unique.

A collection of sun discs Niland created.

Niland works out of a ventilated studio set up in her garage. On nice days, she can open the door and interact with passersby, which she tends to see a lot of as her 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.

A close-up of a sun disc created by Judith 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.”

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