A Millisecond – 0.001s

Artist: Lakshika Rajapaksha
Medium: Charcoal and white pastel on paper
Size: 11 × 8 in (27.9 × 20.3 cm)
Year: 2024

By the time he arrived, she had already made her way slowly along the usual road to their usual meeting place, wearing his favourite dress, her hair braided the way he liked. The feathers she gathered on the way may have fallen from a peahen passing through the jungle that morning.

He did not arrive as slowly as she did. Sweat from his hurried journey runs down his chest, and reflected light catches the shadowed side of his face. His shirt is crushed from the branches, yet he gives her his love effortlessly, his face radiant.

She hides the sunshine behind a feather, pretending not to notice him in mock pride, but the smile on her face makes that first millisecond of their meeting more beautiful than the morning sun in the jungle.

About the artist

Lakshika Rajapaksha is a Sri Lankan artist from Bandarawela. Working in charcoal, white pastel and oil, he captures the moments that pass almost unnoticed (tenderness, longing, quiet joy), with nature and light as constant, sheltering presences. Read the full biography