Unbe-LEAF-able art!!

Autumn is upon us, which turns our thoughts to cool crisp days, warm apple cider and pumpkin patches, and trees around us being clothed in beautifully colored leaves. In celebration of the season, this month's blog is about an artist who literally uses leaves as a canvas upon which he creates his unique artwork. Artist Lorenzo M. Duran, turns these simple elements of nature into intricate and delicate art forms, by cutting and carving images out of the leaf itself. Growing up and living between Spain and Germany, he at one time studied technical drawing, but through most of his young adult life, he held various jobs, particularly in the construction sector. Around the age of 36, he started to create and combine art and nature. He was originally a more traditional oil painter, but inspiration came to him in the summer of 2006 when he observed a caterpillar eating a leaf. Through much trial and error, and LOTS of practice, he created his own technique for the art of leaf-cutting. The main tools he uses are surgical scalpels and dental-pointed devices that allow him to remove the cut out parts from the leaves. His work has been exhibited in Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and the US, and has also appeared in various publications and media. You can view a few more of his carved leaf creations below, or check out his website.

Perhaps this fall, now when you look outside, you will not only observe the leaves changing colors on the trees around you, but maybe you will see them in a whole new and different way--that something so very small and simple in this world, can also be so very bold and beautiful.