Autumn's Elephants are trumpeting

Autumn arrived early in London, the hot summer has stressed the trees and so many are undressing early for the relief of winter. Horse chestnuts are always the first to cast off their large hand like leaves. As I wondered the streets and during my day at kew I gathered and pressed the early bounty of leaves. I brought them home to Scotland and have been able to spend part of my day playing and expanding my herd of autumn elephants.

A mask of leaves

More leaves this time butterburr leaves that are large enough to be masks.

Above: Cathy Orton joins in the fun.

New leaves

It has been a while since I treated myself to some leaf creations. This week I plan to make many as the storm has pulled many fine specimens from the trees, and I have time to enjoy them.

Aspen

I have had a request from a magazine and so I am busy working with leaves.
Here in Aviemore the leaves are generally very small silver birch leaves, however I found some Aspen leaves strewn on the ground after a storm. To me these leaves from an Aspen tree suggested a profile and so I am having fun making gossiping 1920's style lady leaves.
The lift of the nose gives a lot of character as does the shape of the lips.

Oak Leaf Ghosts

The silhouette of my oak leaves struck me last week as being very ghost like. That sounds strange 'my oak leaves', but as I planted the acorns that are now producing these leaves I do feel very maternal.
I pressed them and painted them and here they are OoooOoooOooooooooooooooing to you.
The Oak leaf ghosts and I wish you a very Happy Halloween.

Autumn Reds

 

I went out to buy coffee this morning and on the way back from the shop noticed all these leaves on the ground and had to pick them up and do something with them, they are like thin ice you can hardly touch them as they all instantly fall to pieces.
I have been wanting to play with leaves and little Red Riding Hood so this was a good opportunity.

Leaf 'shield bugs'

Leaf Fish

Owls

Cui Fei

'Manuscripts of Nature' by Cui Fei, a Chinese artist now living and working in New York. Cui fei makes documents from collections of nature; leaves, thorns and tendrils, like a magical letter from your garden or the park.

Cat leaves

Earlier this evening I was working on my cat leaves (this is a work in progress). I thought of this when watching the students working and suddenly being struck by the possibility of stalks as tails. Happy Autumn X

Rachel Rice

These are Rachel Rice's feathers made form cut paper and decorated, of course you could make paper leaves (love this picture).

Painting leaves on autumn days

Freya and I collected lots of leaves at the weekend, and my students did too, which was great. Today having pressed the leaves for a couple of days, my students got the chance to repaint nature, it was a lovely relaxing fun project (tonight Freya and I are going to have a go too).

Mia E Goransson

Porcelain as thin and delicate as fallen leaves, the ethereal work of Swedish ceramicist Mia Goransson.

Three in a row

Pierced leaves by Heather Smith Jones, delicate, beautiful and a wonderful idea.