The Power of Shadows

  It is a beautiful day. There are a few whispy white clouds in the light blue sky but none are impeding the sunlight. The shadows cast on the grass by the trees are large and very crisp, very hard-edged. It is a pleasing composition to look at. The tree to the right is wonderfully molded by this afternoon sun. In relation to this tree, the sun is positioned like a high front-side light. The green branches’ bristles on the tree’s right side are mostly solidly lit. The longest branch on the tree’s right side extends out so far that I believe the left tree is actually casting it in shadow, preventing it from receiving any of the direct light that the rest of that side is getting. The sun does manage to reach through the maze of branches one part of the tree’s trunk, just below its middle, creating a circle of light around one of the completely shadowed branches. The rest of the trunk is in shadow. Whereas the tree’s right side is upper ¾ lit and lower ¼ shadow, the left side of the tree is an unpredictable patchwork of shadow and highlight. The direct sunlight manages to light various bristles on various branches, and those lit bristles, look like glassy, dangerous, pointy needles, surrounded by the shadowed bristles.

I am feeling…. Hot. Because the sun is at a lower angle due to the days getting shorter and it is directly shining through the archway of Booker to my left and hitting me. Emotionally, I feel calm, at ease. This was a much-needed 15 minutes of observation. The sun is shining, sky is a beautiful sky-blue color, the lit grass and tree bristles are bright green and shimmering in the sunlight. Puts things in perspective.

The sun has shifted towards me, extending across the brink pathway, making the shadow of the left tree grow onto the pathway. It’s sort of scary if you think about it. The trees are stationary, rooted to the ground, but with the addition of light, they have the mirrored-self, a second presence that can be both larger and more mobile than they are. Shadows have a powerful presence. They add another complex layer to a scene. In staring at this shadow, the once beautiful, serene day is made ever so slightly ominous.