"Lovely. Charming. Brilliant..." P.C.
I love ancient art and ancient history. I have wondered about artists painting such wonderful Roman and Minoan murals. What must their lives have been like? This was the inspiration behind this image albeit more modern. I also like the challenge of making Leaf Art people. I have more planned! He’s my kind of guy, this artist, with his long hair, earring and cap. I researched photos online to find the exact facial profile; sketched the outline of the artist’s back and went looking for a leaf for his shirt. This Hosta leaf fit PERFECTLY. I trimmed one little corner! The yellow across the shoulders gives dimension ever so nicely. And all completely unaltered and supplied by nature, thank you! I love the drawn lines illustrating there is still work to be done.
The Unicorns were originally made for the image titled ‘Return of the Unicorns’ where the colors were altered for that Spring season version. I always wanted to do another image using the real colors and here it is. I had scanned red azalea leaves in the shape of a flower and saved them for later use. “Later” arrived, hence their placement in the ‘grass’ using Photoshop. Tiny stems and yellow centers were added, also via Photoshop.
Lately I’ve been scanning leaves to have in my file in case I get stuck or want to make images when leaves are not available i.e. during winter. They were placed individually in the upper left corner. Azalea, barberry, burning bush, service berry.
Unicorns are oak, manes fennel (dried tan, fresh green, aged black). Horns are cork screw plant. Hat is green maple and dried white corn husks. Hair aged fennel. Red shirt is burning bush. Green leaves used for grass on the bottom are elm; day lily used under the unicorn’s feet.
As leaves are biodegradable and will fade and deteriorate quickly, original Art is scanned immediately after creation, preserving their beauty long after originals are gone. Enjoy!