The Pink Door in the Lake

Ankle-deep in a round pond, a dark blue silhouette stands beside an upright pink panel, like a door with no wall. Rings of ripples spread out from where they stand. Tall reeds frame the bottom corners, and a few small white birds drift across a sky of flat blue grain. A handful of pale specks above could be early stars. There are no other details.

Almost everything is one shade of cornflower blue, so the dusty pink door does all the work. The figure sits low in the frame, leaving two thirds of the height to sky, which makes the scene feel still and far away. Grain shows more at 9 × 18 in. Suits a bedroom or a quiet reading spot.