In this radiant Gulf Coast sunset, Michelle captures the dramatic interplay between sky, light, and rolling sea. The composition opens toward the right, where a magnificent yellow sun hovers just above the horizon, commanding the scene with its warm, powerful glow. From its right side burst orange, flame-like streaks—sunbeams piercing through breaks in the clouds, creating the illusion of fire spreading across the sky.

Dark clouds gather above and extend to the right, their weight deepened by the sun’s brilliance, while to the left a gentler band of pale clouds sits just above the horizon, touched lightly by the fading day. This balance of glowing warmth and brooding shadow is distinctly Gulf Coast, where the sky reveals its character in sweeping contrasts.

Below, the waves roll steadily inward. Though the beach lies just out of frame, the white froth of approaching surf suggests its nearness, placing the viewer at the very edge of the shoreline. Beneath the sun, a wide expanse of water burns with reflected light—rich orange and gold spreading across the surface like a pathway of molten color. It is this glowing ribbon that gives the painting its name, the sea mirroring every nuance of the setting sun’s fire.

Above the clouds, the sky unfolds in soft layers: bright white near the sun, then a gentler yellow, then a paleening blue, finally deepening into a cooler dusk-blue at the top of the composition. These subtle transitions capture the final moments of daylight slipping into evening.

Reflections on the Setting Sun is a portrait of the day’s last radiance—a fleeting blaze of beauty where sky and sea meet in perfect harmony.