Bubblesmith

We hired Sterling Johnson for a toddler’s birthday party when our entertainment fell through. He is great with kids and he even impressed the adults. Besides watching him make cool bubble sculptures, putting each kid into an enormous bubble (have your cameras ready!), the biggest hit is when he blows ginormous bubbles and hundreds of bubbles at once that the kids compete to catch. I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him again. My only tip is to do this on grass — we tried with a tarp indoors and on a slate patio but they both got slippery after a few minutes. So grab a picnic spot, playground, or park grounds and get the party started!

I’ve seen Sterling Johnson creating bubbles on the street in Fairfax, at the Civic Center lake and professionally in front of a crowd. The first time I saw him in action, I hoped I’d have an opportunity to photograph him working his magic and he was gracious enough to give me an opportunity to do so and to learn a bit about the person behind the bubbles, as it were. He’s a terrific showman and he’s great with kids (I saw him put a birthday girl inside her own bubble!) but he has a gently spiritual aspect to his work that’s more tuned to adults and worth getting witness if you can. He’s also done commercials, been in videos and was even a contestant on a Japanese game show. He’s one of Marin’s best kept secrets! I documented some of the time he spent with me discussing his passion for his work here:

I recently saw him in Fairfax (in between rainy days) and the bubbles are still spectacular to watch. I especially enjoy his bubbles on warm days when he’s in the parking lot next to the empty grocery store in Fairfax. It’s fun to sit at the coffee hut and watch the bubble waft by as you sip on a hot beverage.