Rusty Latch

The heavy iron latch clung to the bare, silvered planks of the shed door like a stubborn memory, its surface blooming with an abrasive crust of burnt-orange rust. Years of relentless rain and baking sun had stripped the wood to a skeletal grey, carving deep, dry channels into the timber and raising the grain into coarse, splintered ridges. Against this weathered canvas, the pitted handle sat frozen in its groove, thick with the slow decay of oxidation. To press it was to wake something long forgotten; it demanded a firm, deliberate push, answering the weight of a hand with a harsh, grating shriek of metal on metal that shattered the quiet stillness of the encroaching garden.

Original available for purchase:

31 x 41 CM watercolour, framed and behind glass. £245