The color contrast was the first thing that caught my eye. The colors were so vivid, and instead of slowly changing to the next shade, the radical color change amplified the drastic characteristics of the environment.
From the green in the leaves of the tree, which is what is in focus in the picture, my attention moves into the vibrant contrast of blues, purples, reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows as the image in the picture moves towards the horizon. A tree farther off in the distance and the ground are portrayed into a blackness, which makes the eyes of the viewer focus more on the intensity of the color change during the sunset portrayed in the picture. However, in the midst of the dark ground, I can see what could be a waterhole, which reflects more of the red and pink aspects of the sunset. This assures me that there is something within the darkness. Also, the clearing of the clouds, slightly above the dark tree, shows a gray sky above the vibrant clouds, which almost seems out of place in the moment captured.
It seems as though the sky is on fire, as though the intense heat of the day is being locked in by the cloud cover. The small opening in the clouds gives a sense of freedom, or a sense of coldness seeping through an opening in the burning sky. It seems like freedom because it would be an escape from the heat that the clouds portray because of the intensity of the color. Or coldness because of how the color of gray reminds me of ice, which makes this gray area seem like a place to get away from the heat.
The darkness that has engulfed the ground, and ultimately the tree, seems as though it is alive, and trying to reach the sky to consume the life out of it. The drastic change between the wary ground and the bright horizon separates the distinctiveness of the different color qualities in the picture. The dense darkness on the ground also gives a perception of the unknown, because I cannot completely make out what the ground