An Ember Cradles Green

About this piece

Mike Gedj frames a small green leaf against the vivid red and yellow surface of a much larger leaf. Branching veins, mottled color, and uneven light give this close view of layered foliage its texture and depth.

The story

I was drawn to the small green shape before I took in the leaf beneath it. Against that broad field of red and yellow, its veins seemed especially delicate, its edges distinctly held. I kept the frame close, letting the surrounding leaves enter only at the margins. What interested me was the difference in scale: one leaf almost a landscape, the other resting within it, both briefly gathered into the same patch of light.