Where Iron Ends

About this piece

A deteriorating steel bridge stretches diagonally from a massive foreground pier toward a low, distant shoreline. Rust-orange girders and stained concrete contrast with luminous turquoise water, while diffuse light filters through broad banks of cloud. Repeated supports give the composition a measured rhythm, ending abruptly at the exposed steelwork nearest the viewer.

The story

Late August finds the water luminous beneath a heavy sweep of cloud. Along the bridge, rust gathers in orange seams, and the concrete piers carry dark waterline marks. Each support grows smaller toward the shore, drawing the eye along a crossing that no longer holds together. Around the broken end, open water offers an unbroken surface of blue.