Leaf Art Is Cooler than Jack-o-Lanterns

Who’d have thought you could “carve” on a leaf?  The answer is the folks who came up with the leaf carving concept.  Not only do they offer these cool leaf carvings, but also pressed flower arts, wheat stems art, pressed flower related products, wicker and straw plaiting products.

The company, Nature’s Art, is actually based out of China, where artists work to create these amazingly detailed pieces of art.  After collecting leaves and washing them with clean water, the leaves are boiled and spread on a board and carved.  Leftover leaf is brushed away to make the image clear.  In the final stages, the leaves are pressed and dried.   But that does more than oversimplify a process that requires over sixty individual steps.

This is a completely new twist on wondrous artwork.  Scrimshaw art (the art of painting or carving on whale tusks) was all the rage back in the day – about the same time when steady-handed craftsmen were creating detailed ship models inside the bottles.  This, however, takes detailed artwork to a whole new level.

Leaf carvings, like those pictured here are 25cm by 25cm (about two inches by two inches), and completely carved by hand.  The leaves are from the Chinar tree, which resembles a maple leaf. Once the carvings are complete, the art can be kept forever.  Well, forever if you take care of them.  These are leaves after all, and hence not indestructible.  Framing these leaves between panes of glass might be one way to ensure that your treasured art isn’t damaged by clumsy fingers.

From what I can tell based on the website information, the folks over at Nature’s Art would be more than happy to create a custom art piece for you.  Talk about a great tribute.  You could have your family’s picture carved into a leaf and pressed onto glass to treasure forever.

If you’re interested in this type of art, you may also be interested in the Thundercats stained glass we featured a little while back.  Regardless, the leaf carvings are far more intricate and detailed than any pumpkin carvings we have ever reviewed, including some of the more wicked Halloween pumpkin carvings.