3,000 balls float on Los Angeles lake as part of art project

August 22, 2015 at 11:17 p.m. | Updated August 22, 2015 at 11:45 p.m.

by Associated Press

Volunteers inflate spheres to be lowered into Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park Lake as part of a public art installation by Portraits of Hope on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. The installation will feature about 3,000 inflatable, hand-painted spheres. The vinyl, beach-ball-like orbs were painted by hand earlier this summer by about 10,000 volunteers, including hospital patients, students from nearby schools and youths who took part in the Special Olympics. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Volunteers inflate spheres to be lowered into Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park Lake as part of a public art installation by Portraits of Hope on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. The installation will feature about 3,000 inflatable, hand-painted spheres. The vinyl, beach-ball-like orbs were painted by hand earlier this summer by about 10,000 volunteers, including hospital patients, students from nearby schools and youths who took part in the Special Olympics. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The surface of a Los Angeles lake is filling up with thousands of colorful, floating balls as part of a large-scale public art installation.

Volunteers are spending the weekend launching about 3,000 beach-ball like orbs into an 8-acre lake at MacArthur Park.

The project is conceived by brothers Ed and Bernie Massey, whose Portraits of Hope organization repainted New York City taxis, planes and lifeguard towers with bold, candy-colored patterns.

For the monthlong "Spheres of MacArthur Park" exhibit, thousands of volunteers painted the vinyl balls, are 4- to 6 feet in diameter and covered in bright floral and fish patterns.

The Masseys say the installation should be ready for public viewing on Monday.

After the exhibit closes, the spheres will be donated to schools, hospitals and other organizations.

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