Gold Against Blue

About this piece

A rooster stands on pale beach sand with its head tucked into its plumage, its curved tail rising above a body of orange-gold and dark feathers. Sunlight reveals the fine texture of the bird while shallow depth of field softens the beachgoers, blue umbrellas, and turquoise water into bands of color. The close foreground study lends an ordinary act of grooming a quiet, sculptural presence.

The story

On this March day, sunlight catches the rooster’s golden feathers above the cool shadows on the sand. Its head disappears into the layered plumage, leaving a rounded body and an unruly sweep of tail. Beyond it, blue umbrellas shelter people beside a pale turquoise sea. The beach stretches outward, but the bird’s attention stays within the small world of its own feathers.