It’s not the subjects themselves that make this image expressive. It’s what the interplay of light, shadow, and color do to those subjects. These massive wooden coffee tables, sitting upon a rainbow-like hotel carpet, are defined by light, and at the same time are abstracted by shadow. Light and shadow can create the illusion of a third dimension, even though a photograph has only two dimensions. The warm colors of this carpet reflect light on to the richly grained ends of these tables, painting them with a warm, reddish glow. The light also emphasizes the aged texture of the surface. It casts the shadows of these tables upon the patterned design of the carpet, superimposing the geometry of wood upon the geometry of the weave. I combine both tables and carpet as illuminated symbols representing the lifestyle of the American Southwest – bold, colorful, and primitive, yet also contemporary, with an eye on the future.