A Shared Light

Enchanted Spaces 
Mixed Media (oil and oil pastel on canvas), 2024 
50 x 40 cm (19.68 x 15.74 inches) 

Two children lie in the grass at dusk, gathered around a small glow that moves between hand, jar, and air.

A moment gathers at the edge of dusk. Two children lie close together in the grass, their attention drawn inward toward a small jar of fireflies held between them. Their expressions remain quiet, absorbed. One of the insects drifts free, settling briefly on a boy’s hand, its light softening the distinction between containment and openness. 

Against a ground of black gesso, oil pastel establishes a luminous twilight atmosphere, allowing colour to surface through grass and foliage with heightened clarity. A final layer of oil paint introduces gentle shifts between warmth and coolness, creating a subtle movement across the surface. The surrounding landscape does not withdraw into shadow, but appears responsive, as though light circulates through it rather than resting in a single place. 

The children’s closeness suggests attentiveness rather than possession. The glow moves between jar, hand, and air, without settling. The scene holds steady within this brief convergence, neither announcing an event nor resolving it.