The Light Gleams
ASCENSION
SHADED FROM VIEW
THE LIGHT GLEAMS
IN THE SHAPE OF A HEART
SAPPHIRE RECEDES
IN SEARCH OF FAMILIAR
WHEN GREAT TREES FALL
HEARTBREAK
FOLLOW EVERY RAINBOW
Statement
THE LIGHT GLEAMS AN INSTANT, THEN IT’S NIGHT ONCE MORE
S. Beckett, Waiting for Godot
An ongoing series of images, this set made at Kew Gardens. A waterlily pond - brimming with thick and buoyant leaves and punchy abstract shapes amidst the dark water.
Waterlilies - I have since discovered - are associated with hope, rebirth and optimism. Although I did not know this when I was shooting, it is entirely appropriate as I had decided to focus my concentration on the dying, shrivelled leaves - leaves of every size, shape and hue - looking to contrast them with the happy spontaneity of the new flowers. Contrasts and contradictions are an ongoing fascination of mine and none more so than those between life and death.
In recent months, two of our clients have died - long before their time. Inevitably, one immediately sees life as being just a little bit more precious. If it takes a death to show what life is worth, perhaps the refutation of the loss could be an enhanced appreciation of the exquisite beauty of what we have. Albeit fleetingly.
These images have been sitting half-finished on my hard drive for some time now. Although I had recently started looking at them again, the most recent of those deaths has motivated me to at least upload a small selection.
To Les and James. And all the rest.