I found Santa Barbara’s State Street, its primary shopping avenue, to be full of surprises. One of them was this copper-colored public drinking fountain. Even though time and use have tarnished its finish, it struck me as an elegant way to present such a utilitarian device. I moved in to emphasize this fountain’s glowing color, which rises from the shadows as a symbolic oasis for those in need of free refreshment. It is a very simple object, yet through the interplay of color and shadow, it becomes something unexpected and incongruous.