Introducing Wildfire's
All New Website... |
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New Design
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New Layout
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New Information
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New Artwork
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New Online Store
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And MORE!
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Media Mention:
"Lighting & Sound America" Magazine
See Article Titled "The Truth About UV Filters" beginning on page 90. | |
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Modern Masters Assumes Distribution Of Wildfire Luminescent Paint
 Good news for dealers and artists alike: Wildfire Luminescent Paint will be more readily available and widely distributed than ever before thanks to an exclusive agreement with Modern Masters, a division of Rust-Oleum that specializes in decorative and artist paints.
Effective immediately, Modern Masters-a manufacturing partner of ours for over 18 years-will be taking over all wholesale sales and distribution of Wildfire brand paint products.
That means you'll rarely be faced with an out-of-stock issue on a particular item. It also means you'll be able to purchase Wildfire Paints anywhere Modern Master brand paints are sold-including direct from Modern Masters.
 Modern Masters is the leader in decorative paint with popular brands like Theme Paint, Metallic Paint Collection, Venetian Plaster, Metal Effects, ShimmerStone, Texture Effects, and SkimStone.
Dealers will find the transition seamless, since Modern Masters is a small division still run by the family that founded it over 40 years ago. That means you'll still get the same kind of personal service you've come to appreciate from us.
New Wildfire Paint Lines Coming Soon!
According to the agreement, Wildfire will continue to be intimately involved in the development of the paint product line. Our UV expertise, combined with Modern Masters' knowledge of paint formulations, will allow us to combine our resources to bring you new and exciting products. In fact, two new product lines will be announced within months-stay tuned!
Visit Modern Masters online at www.ModernMasters.com.
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Wildfire Hires 14-Year Lighting Industry Veteran
 The new voice you hear when calling our offices is that of Dallas Ford (left), the new Inside Sales/Customer Service Manager.
Dallas has been in the lighting industry for 14 years, serving a term at Xenotech (now Strong), where he was Product Manager for the now defunct Nocturn line of UV fixtures.
After that, he ran the Inside Sales & Customer Service Department for Lighting Control & Design, Inc., which sells control systems for the commercial lighting industry.
"My time in the commercial lighting industry taught me so much about the process of projects, from beginning to end," Dallas says. "My experience in both industries has given me the opportunity to work with a variety of customers from designers to installers, and assisting with every aspect of a project."
We're confident Dallas will do a stand-up job serving all your needs. He says, "I am very excited to be back on the fun side of the 'Biz', and look forward to working on exciting projects with great people!" |
New Wildfire Dealer For Austria, Germany, & Switzerland
 Trendco is a full-service audio/lighting design and production company located in Siegener, Germany. They've been in business for 20 years and operate with a staff of 20.
They're also a notable dealer for such world-class manufacturers as Avolites, Camco, Chainmaster, Eurofilter, GE, Osram, Philips, StageLine, Wybron, Yamaha, and others.
To find out more, visit www.trendco.de. And don't forget your German-English dictionary! |
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The Wildfire Effect...in action!
Ultra-Bright 'Dummy' Shows Her True Colors
 Meet Sally. She has the perfect body... a tranquil poise... and pale, white skin. But the moment the lights go out and the atmosphere is right, she lights up with every color of the rainbow!
Sally is a prototype: a showcase not only for Wildfire's versatile Invisible Luminescent Paint line, but for what may very well be the future of high-fashion mannequin displays. (See "Mannequin Dreams" below.)
Sally may be a 'dummy', but the artist who painted her certainly isn't. Lisa Berczel, an accomplished body painter from Long Beach, CA, has taken on the challenge of turning an otherwise plain mannequin into a unique canvass for bold, colorful UV art.
"The goal," Lisa says, "is to make the mannequin look like it came right out of the box under normal lighting. But under black light, you see a vibrant color gradient revealing an homage to the yin/yang showing a Chinese dragon and phoenix."
Lisa used a layered approach, incorporating every color in the Wildfire Invisible Paint line including Invisible Black. She also used Optical White and Glow Green.
Commenting on the difference between body painting and mannequin painting, Lisa says, "I can work with Sally when it's nippy outside and she never complains!"
Like any true artist, Lisa declares, "It's important to not stagnate, but to always try new things and new techniques. Creatively, I couldn't have a better project!" |
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Tales From The Real World Mannequin Dreams: "All Dressed Up & No Where To Glow!"
By Jonathan Weisgal
 Ever since I began working at Wildfire, I've had this recurring dream of strolling down 5th Avenue or Rodeo Drive at night... and in every window display, the mannequins are glowing with vibrant fluorescent colors as they're illuminated by Wildfire fixtures.
Interesting concept, huh? It would certainly add a whole new dynamic to these elite shopping districts. So, like a true artist with utmost faith in the unseen, I began taking action to turn this prophetic dream into reality.
I interviewed window display designers, Mannequin manufacturers, even clothing designers about this concept. And every one pretty much told me the same thing: "It would take the focus off the clothes."
But I go on to explain that Wildfire Invisible Paint would allow the mannequin to look completely normal during the day... but at night, it would bring the window display alive and attract a lot of attention.
Still, I pretty much get the same response from everyone-confusion.
Alas, trailblazing is such a lonely business.
But there are those out there with vision. For example, we're now working with Rootstein Mannequins and a world-class body painter to take this idea on the road. We've even had a couple of artist answer the call and begin experimenting with mannequins as art pieces.
I can't wait to see what happens... perhaps dreams really do come true!
(Oh, one more thing: in my dream, I also sell a lot of TracFX UV fixtures-the perfect compliment to any art piece. Just thought I'd throw that out there.)
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Wildfire Wizards Cast Spell On SoCal Haunt Association
No haunted house is complete without a really kick-ass fluorescent effect. You know... the sort of thing that has more than the spooks saying, "Ooooh!"
And that's exactly what members of the Southern California Haunt Association were saying as Wildfire demonstrated their UV-wizardry at a recent seminar in Santa Monica, CA.
 Members of the organization-mostly solo entrepreneurs who set up neighborhood haunts-were invited to attend a demonstration where some of the key secrets behind creating the ultra-bright "Wildfire Effect" were unmasked.
"The most critical factor," says Jonathan Weisgal, Vice President of Wildfire, "is the fixture." And to prove his point, Jonathan demonstrated the comparative output of American DJ's P64 UV LED* and Chauvet's 400W Black Light Cannon with Wildfire's 400W Long Throw Flood & Fluorescent Effects Master.
The results were scary. Using Wildfire's famous dual-image "Vegas" backdrop, the 45 or so attendees could clearly see a significant difference in color balance, clarity, and brightness of the fluorescent image.
"The comparisons were truly remarkable," commented Harry Every, president of the SoCal Haunt Association. "It was amazing how the Wildfire paints reacted with their fixtures!"
In addition to the light show, Joe Saenz of Modern Masters offered some tips on how to use Wildfire Luminescent Paint to create both single image and dual image fluorescent effects.
"The demonstration of such simple yet effective black light painting techniques was priceless," Every said. "The invisible paint techniques were amazing, and are sure to inspire many new scenes and effects in our haunts this year."
Finally after a Q&A session, a few lucky attendees won a free Wildfire Luminescent Paint Kit. |
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Ask The Expert: 4 Things You Need To Know About Outdoor UV Applications By John Berardi
 Every now and then, we're asked about creating outdoor UV applications such as a billboard, an outdoor art display, or the side of a building.
The short answer is that Wildfire paints and fixtures aren't designed for outdoor use. However, it's certainly possible to create an outdoor effect for short periods of time (days or weeks) as long as you keep the following in mind...
- Weather. Direct sunlight will destroy fluorescent paint pigments in a hurry. Be sure to minimize exposure to the sun. Inclement weather can also be a concern for the longevity of the paint. Obviously, the drier and milder the weather, the longer the effect will last.
- Color Section. Choose brighter visible colors such yellows, oranges, and reds. Darker colors such as purple and blue will loose their fluorescence much quicker when exposed to sunlight. Invisible colors can also work for short periods of time.
- Ambient Lighting. Try to position your art in a dark area. Ambient lighting from other outdoor fixtures will diminish the fluorescent effect.
- Fixtures. Use the most powerful fixtures your budget will allow-especially if there is a lot of ambient lighting from other fixtures or if the effect needs to be seen from far away, such as a billboard. Also, you should consider weatherproofing the fixtures to protect against inclement weather. (We offer a weatherproofing retrofit on our standard fixtures for $100. This includes a protective outer lens and silicon gaskets for moister protection. We even created some custom-made outdoor billboard fixtures once!)
 If you're determined to do an outdoor application, please contact us as early as possible in the process, so that we can work with you in coming up with the best solutions to these factors. |
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Tips on Painting: The Secret Of Metallic Fluorescence
By Kent Mathieu
 Here's an idea you may not have considered: Metallic finishes that fluoresce under black light. The technique is simple: mix Wildfire Visible or Invisible Luminescent Paint with any artist acrylic metallic paint. (For best results, use Modern Masters Metallic Paint Collection-- there are 50 metallic colors to choose from!)
Here are two quick examples...
- Mix a small amount of Wildfire Invisible Orange into Modern Masters Statuary Bronze Metallic Paint. Once the paint is applied, highlight it with a little Wildfire Deep Yellow to give you a hammered bronze finish that changes to a rusted metal finish under black light. (See photo below.)
- Mix a small amount of Wildfire Invisible Yellow into Modern Masters Iridescent Gold Metallic Paint. This gives you a gold color that changes to yellow under black light. (See photo below.)
The possibilities are endless! You're only limited by your imagination. To see the Modern Masters Metallic Paint Collection, visit www.ModernMasters.com. |
| To have a paint-related question addressed here, send it to questions@wildfirefx.com |
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Fun and Miscellanea...
 Light Bulb JokesHow many zen masters does it take to change a SableLux Lamp? Two. One to do it... and one not to!
Famous Quotes
"Individual comitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Vince Lombardi
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