Moon, reeds and fireflies

 My collector from the USA, shared an image he wished to capture in the material: a quiet summer night, moonlight on the water, and the magical glimmer of fireflies hiding in the coastal reeds. This work became an attempt to capture this fleeting moment.
In Japanese culture, fireflies (hotaru) are not just insects. They are a poetic symbol of summer, and their dance in the dark is a metaphor for passionate love and fragile, fleeting beauty. Firefly viewing (hotaru-gari) is a traditional form of meditation, a search for quiet beauty in the night.
Mammoth tusk, black buffalo horn and red coral. Golden amber, giving the fireflies their inner fire.
2 inches in diameter, 2007. USA, private collection.