In this original limited edition archival photograph, a nude figure swings on a tire over a sandy waterfront. Her brisk energy and playful spirit fill the scene. The figure grasps a thick rope at the top of the image. Her body hangs crouched below it, with her feet gripping on the tire as she swings to the left. Her face is barely visible and her hair swings behind her, full of life. The muscles and posture of her body are tensed and strained with the exhilarating motion.

The image is rendered in a gradient of grays and sepia. The crisp, dark figure contrasts with the pale, out-of-focus background. Behind her, the coastline recedes to the oceanfront. The horizon is barely visible, where the gray sea meets the gray sky. Clouds float in the sky. Only the texture of the sand is discernible.

This muted background creates a backdrop for the action of the figure. Her crisp image draws out the texture of her hair, the curves of her musculature, and the play of light and shadow on her skin. The tire swing presumably hangs from a tree branch, out of view, isolating our attention on the motion of her body. She seems to swing out into the unknown.

The pendulum is pushed to its extreme, with no confirmation of what will occur when it swings back. The image suggests not only what has transpired but what is about to happen. It captures this tension between what could be and what will be. In this way, the image is more about the relationship between the immediate past and the immediate future than about a present moment. It is typical of A.K. Nicholas’ work, which strives to create images that are not about any one point in time.

This original limited edition archival photograph depicts a scene on the island of North Eleuthera in The Bahamas.