Where Stone Becomes Water

About this piece

A monumental domed rotunda and adjoining colonnades rise above a pond, their warm ochre surfaces reflected in wavering bands of gold and green. The sweeping stone edge draws the eye from the foreground toward the architecture, while reeds and trees soften its formal geometry. Bright daylight and an expansive blue sky lend the scene an open, unhurried stillness.

The story

Late June light rests on the carved stone and gathers in the ripples below. The dome holds its shape against the sky, but its reflection loosens into ribbons with every movement of the water. Along the curved bank, tall reeds make a fine screen of green and brown. Birds pass through the open blue, small enough to leave the scale of the architecture undisturbed.