Colorful Leaf Art

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.

Indian Leaf Paintings

The leaf as a canvas.

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Olympic Inspired Leaf Art

Leaf art products

Source links with more images: japanprobe.com, inventorspot.com, cookedbrians.net, zuiqarnainn.com, giahoco.com, link,