Plaything in one's palm
Instead, he mixed shades of cool, sterile white, muted greens, and the cold, hard gray of polished steel.
He painted a glass greenhouse. It was exquisitely detailed, the panes gleaming with a fragile transparency. Inside, under a controlled, artificial light, grew a single, pale orchid. The flower was rendered with meticulous care, its petals delicate, almost translucent, its form perfect but utterly devoid of the vibrant life found in nature. It was beautiful, but it was a beauty that spoke of isolation and careful cultivation.