Motion in Stillness

By John Warden

I noticed a heavy mist gathering along the roadside as I left Port Alberni. After three days exploring the beaches around Tofino, I was headed for home. By the time I got to Comox, though, a heavy blanket of fog was layered across the valley. At the airport, my concern was confirmed. There would be no flights out that day. But I had my camera and there was the fog.

I spent an hour with the swans along Knight Road, trying to be creative with white on grey. Then, remembering the pilings along the shoreline near Bayside Road, I headed that way, wondering if the old timbers would offer a strong contrast against the soupiness of the murk.

Parking the rental along the side of the road, I opened the door and stepped into a complete and silent stillness. And yet...over by the pilings, there was movement. Some ducks were dabbling in the single ray of light that was etched along the surface of the water.

So, on a day when I should have been flying back to Edmonton, I tuned my art to the currents of nature and encountered motion in the heart of stillness.