Cherry Board in Woodshop Vise at Night

Warm amber string lights cast a soft glow across a tightly cropped view of a heavy iron woodshop vise. The jaws clamp firmly around a smooth, reddish-brown cherry board, its grain running diagonally through the center. Behind the metal mechanism, the dark, shadowed corners of a campus library reading room near Belbis fade into silence. The deep night outside is suggested only by the isolation of the warm light against the surrounding darkness. Dust motes hang suspended in the beams, settling on the sawdust-dusted work surface. A small pile of wood shavings rests at the base of the vise, catching the light. at the edge is the sharp, metallic reflection of the screw handle gleaming against the matte wood.