Where Gold Breaks

About this piece

Golden light spreads across wet sand beneath a sky layered with dark clouds. A surfer carrying a board anchors the foreground, while footprints and the curving waterline draw the eye toward distant figures and a hazy coast.

The story

I watched the bright edge of the water curve along the beach, carrying the sky’s gold into the sand. A surfer walked ahead of me, board tucked under one arm, its leash hanging in a loose loop. Farther along, two figures stood against the glow. I framed the space between the footprints and the breaking waves, drawn to the way a single walking figure could give scale to so much light.