A Gesture Held in Light
The heat was nearly gone, but the air still shimmered—caught between the hush of evening and the breath of stone. On the western gopura, the light had begun to lower its voice. That’s when I saw her.
Not a carving, not an image. A gesture, held open. A smile, half-shadowed. Her foot lifted, her gaze eternal and tender. The wall seemed to pulse—not with motion, but with memory. The jungle around me fell quiet. I waited, as if for her to finish the step.
Stone flickers with flame—
her joy kindles dusk to gold,
a breath caught mid-turn.
I did not press the shutter quickly. It was more like listening than seeing. The camera waited with me. Later, the film would hold her silence. But in that moment, I felt her invite the light to stay a little longer.
Also in My Journal
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Zhou Daguan came to Angkor to observe—but found a kingdom that defied explanation. This introductory scroll welcomes new readers into The Wind That Carried Me to Zhenla: a poetic resurrection of the 13th-century emissary’s journey, revoiced with reverence, wonder, and the hush of temple stone.
The Goddess of the Golden Tower
There is a tower the moon remembers—where a king once climbed in silence, and a goddess wove humility into gold. Though the spire has faded, her presence lingers in the hush between breath and stone, waiting for the next soul who dares to kneel before the unseen.
Phimeanakas and the Goddess of Sovereignty
Within the Royal Enclosure of Angkor Thom stands Phimeanakas—the Celestial Palace. More than a monument, it is a myth made stone: where kings bowed to the goddess of the land, and sovereignty meant surrender. A contemplative meditation on sacred architecture, divine right, and the quiet power that still lives between the stones.
$250
Ta Prohm Temple, Angkor, Cambodia — 2021
Limited Edition Archival Pigment Print
Edition
Strictly limited to 25 prints + 2 Artist’s Proofs
Medium
Hand-toned black-and-white archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Bamboo — a museum-grade fine art paper chosen for its quiet tactility and reverent depth, echoing the spirit of the temples.
Signature & Numbering
Each print is individually signed and numbered by the artist on the border (recto)
Certificate of Authenticity
Accompanies every print
Image Size
8 x 8 inches (20.3 x 20.3 cm)
There are moments when light seems to arrive not from above, but from within the stone.
At Ta Prohm Temple, as the sun dropped behind the jungle canopy, a warm breath of dusk spilled across the western gopura. A single apsara emerged from the wall—smiling, suspended mid-dance, her foot lifted inside a ring of carved foliage. The sandstone glowed gold, as if joy had kindled it from the inside.
Lucas Varro stood in stillness before her. The jungle had hushed. The wall seemed to breathe. And in that hush, he released the shutter—medium format black-and-white film drinking in the fading light. Later, in the quiet of his studio, the image was shaped using long exposure, classical chiaroscuro techniques, and a golden hand-toning process that recalled the warmth of that sacred dusk.
Printed on museum-grade Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, this archival pigment print is offered in a strictly limited edition of 25 + 2 AP.
She dances still—within the stillness you welcome her into.
