18 Years of Light Painting – The Evolution of Dariustwin’s Art

Aug 14, 2025

The Spark: My First Light Painting in 2007

I created my first light painting in October 2007 after stumbling upon a striking black-and-white photograph by Gjon Mili of Pablo Picasso light painting in 1949. In the image, Picasso’s glowing centaur illustration hung in mid-air, frozen in time by the camera’s long exposure.

(Click each photo to shop the print)

Fascinated, I asked a photographer friend how this was possible. He explained the basics of long exposure photography and light painting: placing the camera on a tripod in a dark space and using a light source to “draw” in the air during a bulb-mode capture.

He set up the shot for me, and from the moment I saw my light creation appear in the back of the camera, I was hooked.

The Early Gear & Experiments

My first real camera was a used Canon Rebel XT, paired with the cheapest tripod I could find. I collected light sources from everywhere, bought a sample pack of color gels, and explored locations around Los Angeles for my new nighttime experiments.

Those early sessions felt like a blend of art adventure and science experiment. I started with stick figures, then progressed to outlined characters, short animations, and eventually my signature light painting skeletons.

Breaking Creative Barriers: The Dinosaur Skeleton

In August 2011, I pushed my skills further by attempting a light-painted dinosaur skeleton, launching my Light Fossils series.

This was a breakthrough moment — the kind that changes how you see your art’s potential.

Back then, my style was defined by a DIY light pen (precursor to the Night-Writer) with a small cool-white LED, producing intricate white line drawings. Sometimes I’d add a gelled spotlight to the background, but I was hungry to explore new dimensions.

Developing the “Ceramic” Style

In December 2011, while exploring Pasadena after dark during the Rose Bowl Parade setup, I found myself under miles of bleachers — the perfect spot for experimenting with depth. Inspired by Nirvana’s In Utero album cover, I spun my light in a ceramic-wheel motion to create a 3D figure of an angel.

This became my Angels series and marked the birth of my “ceramic” style — circular movements that give light-painted figures depth and form. This technique later inspired many images from my Animals collection that began in 2012.

From Still to Motion: Skeleton Animation

In 2013, I wondered what a light painting animation of a skeleton might look like. I shot 16 frames of a skeleton rising from the ground — and it worked so well that the skeleton character became the star of my short film Light Goes On (released on October 25th, 2013).

After that first experiment, I often stopped during my LA commute home after work to light paint new skateboarding scenes for the skeleton character. By the time I finished shooting at night, LA traffic had miraculously cleared — and my animations had evolved into something alive.

The Filmography

Light Goes On set a new bar for my art, and I’ve continued creating animated light painting short films:

- Fish Food (2010)

- Light Goes On (2013)

- Lightspeed (2014)

- Kill the Lights (2017)

- She Lights the Night (2018)

- Light Duel (2018)

- Fiat Lux (2022)

- Carpe Noctem (2024)

- Shredding Light (2025)

- Crab Cooker (2025)

- Gnome Home (2025)

The Power of Audience Collaboration

In recent years, I’ve asked my audience what they want to see, and I try to respond with custom light paintings or animations.

This back-and-forth inspires fresh ideas I might never think of alone and gives the viewer some skin in the game to the creation process. It keeps things fun and surprising!