Most of us associate autumn with the brilliant orange of a sugar maple glowing on an Indian summer afternoon. Or the impossibly intense scarlet of Red Maple or Vine Maple reflected in an autumn stream. But some trees and shrubs transform from green to winter a step at a time; their leaves displaying a rainbow of colors at once.

I was showing some of my autumn photographs to a gentlemen at an art show in November; he liked them, but asked if I had thought of photographing the multi-colored trees then brightening the streets of Portland, Oregon. I knew exactly what he meant and answered: "Yes - my wife is out collecting some of the Sweetgum leaves as we speak!"

Two days later, back in the studio, I played with the Sweetgum leaves and came up with several arrangements that I liked, each one using a background that I created using pastels. Of those, this is my favorite. Its brilliance helps me through the drab winter.

Lee Rentz