Scarlet Constellation

About this piece

A tightly cropped red gerbera extends across the frame, its dark center set low and to the left. Water droplets catch points of light along the layered petals, while small yellow florets punctuate the saturated red against a black ground.

The story

I moved close enough for the flower to fill the frame, letting its outer petals disappear beyond the edges. What held my attention was the contrast between the broad sweep of red and the small, separate worlds of the water droplets. Each caught a little light without interrupting the shape beneath it. I placed the dark center low in the composition, leaving the petals to unfold into the surrounding black.