Veins, Dyes, & Display

Finished Khaki leaf

Finished Composite leaf

Finished Moss leaf

I've been finishing up painting the veins in on the paper leaves I made in February and casting new ones. The line quality and variation is improving. This semester my goal has been to create leaves that are less realistic, emphasizing transparency of process and material. These objects look less like actual leaves, making the increased verisimilitude of the stem and leaf veins a necessary element and an interesting contradiction. 

New Moss dyed pulp leaf

Sage dyed pulp leaf

I mixed two new batches of dyed pulp, in an attempt to cast leaves with more vibrant color and improved texture. I'm pretty happy with the results. One is a delicate moss green, the other is a deeper sage color. Both pulps have legible text, interesting variation in hue, and pick up greater detail from the mold. All of the new leaves are made entirely out of library catalog cards.

Detail of new Moss leaf

I've also been thinking about ways to display this work. I haven't completely ruled out pinning them to the wall as specimens but I'm not sold on it either. One option is to display them lying on a surface in bunches; the way they would be purchased or stacked after picking and washing.

Collard Bunch (display idea)

Detail of Collard Bunch (display idea)