Two children sitting on the ground in a forest at night, illuminated by fireflies and a lantern.
A dark green wall with a framed painting depicting a path through a forest at night illuminated by fireflies, and a ceramic vase with a white and black stripe pattern holding dried flowers placed on a white shelf below the painting.

Night Gathered Around Them

Enchanted Spaces 
Mixed Media (oil and oil pastel on canvas), 2024 
50.5 x 40.5 cm (19.88 x 15.94 inches)

Two children sit together on a fallen log at the forest’s edge, lantern light and fireflies gathering quietly as night settles. 

A moment of quiet companionship is observed from a slight distance. Two children sit side by side on a fallen log at the edge of a darkening forest, seen from behind as night begins to settle around them. A lantern rests nearby, casting a small pool of light across the log and the girl’s arm, while the surrounding space remains softly obscured. 

As the darkness deepens, fireflies begin to appear. Their scattered glow joins the lantern’s light so that illumination feels dispersed rather than singular. The viewer remains positioned as a witness, arriving after the children have already grown still, able to observe without interruption. 

Built on a ground of black gesso, oil pastel establishes the nocturnal atmosphere, allowing colour to surface with restraint and quiet luminosity. A final layer of oil paint introduces subtle shifts between warm and cool tones, creating depth through contrast rather than detail. The forest does not close in, but opens gently around the figures. 

The children do not move or turn. Their closeness is unremarked, their attention held elsewhere. The scene remains intact, offering no invitation beyond continued looking. 

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