Embers Underfoot

About this piece

Mike Gedj frames a dense carpet of fallen leaves, bringing crimson and gold into sharp contrast with weathered browns and grays. The overhead composition reveals a layered surface of branching veins, torn margins, and curled edges, holding autumn’s brilliance alongside its decay.

The story

I looked down and found the season gathered at my feet. Red leaves lay across gray ones, and yellow still held its brightness along the bruised edges. I kept the frame close, leaving out the trees and sky so that each vein and fold could carry its own weight. What drew me was not a perfect leaf, but the way they rested together: vivid, weathered, and already becoming part of the ground.