Three moons

Three Moons -
Leaves on Dark Water

Three red spheres float on a dark surface, glowing with an intensity that belongs more to lanterns or planets than to harbour buoys. They are perfectly spaced, almost ceremonial – sentinels on a black lake that reflects their light in deep crimson pools below.

At the centre of the image, a cluster of fallen leaves drifts together, lit from somewhere unseen in cold blue-white. Against the surrounding darkness they appear luminous, almost silver – each leaf distinct and detailed, the whole gathering resembling a shoal of fish, or a constellation, or simply what it is: autumn's quiet residue, still travelling.

The contrast between the burning red spheres and the cool, fragile leaves is the heart of the image. Warmth and cold. Permanence and transience. The made and the fallen.

On dark water, even a leaf can become a source of light.