Stillness Between Guardians
They do not guard the past. They remain with it.
The Watchers is not a declaration but a stillness. In it, a guardian lion carved in ancient stone and a solitary palm rise together beneath storm-thick skies. They do not speak. They do not turn toward us. Their attention lies elsewhere—beyond the edge of the frame, and beyond time.
Captured in late afternoon at Angkor Wat, the photograph was made on large-format black-and-white film using long exposure. Varro allowed the light to gather across the frame like mist over temple stone. In the studio, he shaped the negative with classical chiaroscuro, then hand-toned each surface until the silence returned.
There is no story here. Only presence. The lion’s flank holds shadow like breath. The palm’s trunk catches light like memory. Between them stretches a hush older than sound.
As part of the Spirit of Angkor series, this image marks a moment of spiritual equilibrium. It is a threshold work—inviting the viewer not to look, but to wait.
Each print is hand-toned on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, chosen for its warmth, sustainability, and soft tonal depth. The edition is strictly limited to 25 prints + 2 Artist’s Proofs.
To receive this work is to welcome not an object, but a presence: two sentinels who remain—not as guardians of a vanished world, but as witnesses of the sacred now.
Also in Library
The Measure of Silence: A Pilgrim’s Reflection on Kingship at Angkor
Through the ruins of Angkor, a curatorial pilgrim traces the vanished geometry of divine rule. In the silence of the stones, kingship reveals itself as both devotion and decay—an empire of alignment turned elegy, where even ruin retains the measure of sacred order.
The Pilgrim’s Guide to Cambodia’s Beginnings
In the caves of Laang Spean, in the myth of a dragon princess, in the echoes of Funan and Chenla — Cambodia’s beginnings endure. This essay walks with ancestors through soil, stone, and water, tracing how the first Cambodians shaped rice, ritual, and memory into a living continuity that still breathes today.
I Was Stone, I Am Dragon
I was stone, sealed in the earth’s dark marrow, until a single crack taught me the colour of pain and the meaning of release. From silence I tore wings, from pressure I learned fire. I rose into sky and storm as dragon—hunger, flame, and the echo of freedom.
$250
Angkor Wat, Cambodia — 2020
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)
A stone lion steadies itself at the parapet; a lone palm ascends into iron-grey cloud. Between them stretches the charged quiet that precedes rain—the temple holding its breath, the jungle relearning stillness.
Stormlight draws every edge toward revelation. The air smells of wet bark, carved sandstone, distant thunder withheld. Presence settles like fine dust upon the lens.
I stood there, head bowed behind the dark-cloth, feeling not observer but acolyte. Their vigilance entered the glass; my pulse slowed to meet it.
Captured on large-format black-and-white film in a single long exposure, the negative was later shaped through chiaroscuro and meticulous hand-toning until shadow carried the heft of cloud and highlight held the pulse of stone.
Printed on museum-grade Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, The Watchers is limited to twenty-five prints, plus two artist’s proofs.
A threshold of stillness—ready to be welcomed into your space.
To listen alongside the guardians, click here to explore the Artist’s Journal.
Previously titled ‘Guardian, Angkor Wat Temple, Cambodia. 2020,’ this photograph has been renamed to better reflect its place in the series and its spiritual tone. The edition, provenance, and authenticity remain unchanged.
