The Ground Ablaze

About this piece

Mike Gedj’s close study of fallen leaves brings saturated reds and greens into contact with the muted browns beneath them. Branching veins, mottled surfaces, and curled edges give this tightly framed composition its intricate structure.

The story

I looked down and found a whole field of color gathered at my feet. One leaf held its green, another had turned almost entirely red, and beneath them lay the dry, pale layers of earlier change. I framed them closely, letting the veins carry my eye from one surface to the next. What held me there was the way each leaf seemed to keep a different measure of time.