Here is what I'm trying to achieve: 
Is there a way to do this with a W3 web technology, e.g. SVG, Canvas?
Yes, you can, by using the text-fill-color and background-clip properties.
html, body { background: #000; } p { margin: 0px; } #clip { background: linear-gradient(to right, rgba(127, 127, 127, 1) 23%, rgba(234, 85, 7, 1) 20%, rgba(234, 85, 7, 1) 57%, rgba(127, 127, 127, 1) 59%); background-attachment: fixed; -webkit-text-fill-color: transparent; -webkit-background-clip: text; font-size: 8vw; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; } <p id="clip">Lorem ipsum dolor sit </p> NOTE: Visit this link for more information.