There are two types of leaf art: using the leaf as a canvas and creating an image with the use of paints and brushes, and cutting and pasting dry leaves to create the image. Below are examples of both of these styles which require an incredible amount of patients to create these intricate and beautiful works. While the sources I found divided styles by country; Japan, Vietnam and India, I don't know if these contrasting styles are truly unique to each country. If anybody else knows anything about leaf art please leave a comment.
Japanese Leaf Painting
Kazou Akasaki creates his works by using only the natural colors of the fallen leaves. This incredibly intricate process can take up to 6 months to create a single pieces. A story surrounding his humble beginnings and rise to fame goes as such:
In Japan, Kazuo Akasaki is now famous in the field of leaf painting art. Many art-schools in this cheery flower country were named after him. Twenty years ago, he was unknown artist in Japan and lived in misery. But he did not care about that, the only thing that occupied his mind was: Made paintings from dry leaf. Despite the fact that his household was in major debt and they had angry loan sharks banging on their doors, Akasaki continued to work on his art and his family supported him. When all hope seemed lost, they received a phone call informing them that the following painting had been awarded the “Salon de Paris” at the 1986 Fine-arts Paris Exhibition of Japan: The prize launched Akasaki’s successful art career, giving impetus to his glorious leaf painting art.
Limited by the colors of the leaves, the pieces have a sorrowful and solemn feel, but are nonetheless colorful in their creation.
Vietnamese Leaf Paintings
These incredible 'paintings' are created using the cut and paste method and a treatment process to preserve the leaves original bright colors, though some dye is used.
Working with industry, cleverness and creation, we had tested practically hundred times to find new method for leaf treatment which can keep dry leaf with original colour and long-lasting existence with the test of time. Making the utmost effort, we have gained great result for manual leaf treatment by temperature factor. With this new method, we can keep some dry leaf with natural colour: yellow, white, green,…not need to use pigments. Some colours which we can not create by manual leaf treatment, we had have to use pigments to dye. In the time to come, we are in progress to use 100% natural colour leaf (after manual treatment by temperature,…) in our unique leaf paintings.
- giahoco.com
Here is a 5 min slide show, with classy music, of examples of this leaf art technique.
A couple of weeks ago I put online a website I made for such a leaf artist, www.lucianacorsi.it. Luciana is based in Verona, Italy, and uses pressed leaves and flowers to paint landscapes and decorations. In her case, it is more of a matter of personal insiration than of traditional art, for such a practice has no traditional root, not in Italy at least. Check out the website, there are some nice examples of colourful leaf and flower paintings.
Davide
Leaf Art also includes a segment called Leaf Carving which is an ancient Chinese art. In Leaf Carvings the layers of the leaf are removed to add the design or picture to the leaf. The Ancient Leaf carvers removed the leaf surfaces and the small veins of the leaf.with only large leaf veins remaining. Modern techonology has been applied to new Leaf Carvings. The new technology allows all the small veins to remain. The small veins add substance and detail to the carving subject. No paint, ink or laser scribing is involved
In Leaf Carving Art ( Leaf Carvings, Leaf Sculptures, Leaf Art). The leaf most commonly used is a leaf from a Chinar Tree - native tree to Pakistan, India and Southern China. Leaves like snowflakes are a prooduct of Mother Nature with no two leaves being exactly identical. Leaf carving undergo a 60 step process with the final process being the actual carving of the design into the leaf. In processing all mold-mildew spores are removed and the brittleness associated with dry leaves is eliminated. Couple the unique leaf with the hand carving and the result is a beautiful, unique work of art.
Leaf Carvings are sold in two different retail packages - framed and unframed. Far-EastGifts.com offers unique designed Leaf carvings. You can view the many many designs of Leaf Carving Art at Http://stores.Far-EastGifts.com. Some of the designs available include President Obama, Martin Luther King Jr, Jesus, Statue of Liberty ( World Trade center in the background), Hoorses, Tigers, Oriential Scenes, Happy Child Scenes and many more. With the unframed Leaf carvings all one has to do is pick out a frame to match the homme decor and mount. Leaf carvings also make unusual subjects for a desk frame. Once framed Leaf Carvings add a stunning and unique presentation to any wall in the home or office.
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