Sunlit granite cliffs rise above green woodland in Yosemite Valley, reflected in a shallow river scattered with rounded rocks and clumps of grass beneath a clear blue sky.

Where Granite Meets Water

MG-0327

2024-03-19

About this piece

Mike Gedj frames Yosemite Valley through the meeting of monumental granite and a shallow, reflective river. Rounded stones and dense grasses anchor the foreground, while luminous foliage and pale cliff faces carry the eye toward the open blue sky.

The story

I found my frame among the river stones, where the valley’s immense walls appeared again in the water. The grasses filled the foreground with fine, unruly lines, a counterpoint to the broad faces of granite above. I wanted to hold both scales together: the small stones breaking the surface and the cliffs rising beyond the trees. In the reflection, that distance seemed to disappear.

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