The Story Behind My Painted Leaves

Have you ever looked at the beautiful range of colours nature brings us and wished they could stay around forever? I know I have!

Especially when summer comes to an end and all the colours slowly start to slip away, then before you know it the trees start to hibernate and all those lovely colours begin to disappear for winter.

That's one of the biggest reasons I started painting on real leaves. I wanted to find a way to preserve the beauty of nature, so that we never have to say goodbye to those little pieces of beauty.

I began painting on real leaves when I'd not long got into gardening and realised just how much beauty a leaf or flower has when I was up close to the plants.

Then one day it's like the universe was pushing me to give it a go, because I came across a post on social media showing similar leaf artwork and that just gave me the urge to try it for myself!!!

So then, later on that week, I picked some leaves from my garden, specifically rose leaves because I just love rose plants!

Because I didn't yet have a traditional flower press, I used an old book of mine from college years ago and pressed the leaves in that. Afterwards I got them out of the book and was amazed at just how much beauty they'd held onto in the drying process, from the veins to their colour.

Then I began painting my first ever piece of leaf artwork and here's what it turned out to look like......

It might not look as detailed as my latest paintings today, but it was a very difficult journey going from painting on A3-A4 canvases to painting on such a tiny leaf. As someone who is really into supporting the environment and sustainability I couldn't resist doing another one.

Then as time went on I gradually improved my skills for painting on leaves, got myself a flower press and experimented with lots of different types of leaves with many different shapes and sizes.

One of the ways I try to do my bit for the environment is by going and collecting the natural materials for my artwork myself, rather than ordering leaves from suppliers overseas. I love being able to make use of the beauty that's already growing around me!

Each piece of leaf artwork is so unique, because not only is it an individual painting, but also the leaf the paintings are on are all different too. Plus I have actually experimented and tried to do a duplicate painting on a leaf from the same plant before and all I can say is no two painted leaves will ever be the same.

The brush strokes will always be slightly different and I didn't realise this until recently, but no two leaves are ever the same either, because they always grow facing the sun, so they're always slightly different from one another and the veins are unique to each leaf too, which is really fascinating sometimes.

During the drying/pressing process I've learnt over the last few years to handle the leaves really delicately and with care, in fact I've actually got a special nest table that the leaves all live in until they're needed.

My main goals are to preserve nature in style, in a sustainable way that helps to save nature and make peoples homes and society a more beautiful and happy place to be. Which is why a small cut of my profits go straight to a nature charity, my favourite currently is the Woodland Trust.

I don't know about you, but as I briefly mentioned earlier, I don't like having to say goodbye to to the beautiful side of nature, whether it's the blossom in the spring (my favourite!), the greenery in the summer, or the autumnal colours in the autumn.

It's made me realise that we need to make the most of our time with those things, then I created Elder Leaf to stop us from having to say goodbye to the seasons all the time.

Plus with everything going on in the world, from global warming, climate change and mother nature going mental to the daily stresses of life, I thought "what better time than now to start taking action, help save nature, and bring some beauty and happiness into the world" which is the main reason I started Elder Leaf to be honest.

And that's what I hope my painted leaves can bring to your home too. A little piece of nature's beauty that you can enjoy all year round.

Just imagine having a little piece of nature's beauty in your favourite part of your home, whether that be in a cosy corner, or perhaps sitting on a shelf amongst your books or something to brighten up a room that you see every morning.

Perhaps it'll remind you of a favourite season, a lovely countryside walk or simply those little moments outdoors that make you smile and hopefully, it's one of those little things that makes your home feel that bit happier and more personal.

If you'd like to see how I've turned real leaves into little pieces of artwork, you're always welcome to explore my painted leaves collection. Who knows, perhaps you'll find a little reminder of your favourite season!

Kelsea x