Green in Counterpoint

About this piece

Luminous green leaflets sweep outward from a diagonal central stem, their fine veins sharpened by backlighting. Bands of shadow cross the repeating curves, setting botanical detail against an almost abstract arrangement of color and line.

The story

I moved close enough for the frond to fill the frame, letting the surrounding foliage fall into darkness. Light passed through each leaflet and revealed fine lines I might otherwise have missed. What held me there was the overlap: one leaf receiving the sun, another interrupting it. I framed those alternating bands of brightness and shade, with just enough blue between them to keep a sense of the space beyond.