what leaves leave
it is during this time of year, when trees are changing colors and shedding, that we often take notice again of the simple beauty of a leaf. to spend time studying and knowing the leaf, then painting the leaf. one of my favorite subjects when watercoloring is a colorful autumn leaf.

my model on left; my painting on right
i’ve also been experimenting with painting ON leaves this year, with the inspiration of geninne’s art blog. (this woman is seriously amazing! i want to live in her studio!)

leaves as canvas
we recently made leaf garland, which has such natural beauty when hung in the home. but another wonderful study of leaves is something we all did as kids: leaf rubbings. i had forgotten how simple and lovely these can be until N and i made a bunch of leaf rubbings this week. an activity that’s as basic as a leaf, a sheet of typing paper, and crayons.


also fun to cut out!
i’m enjoying the contemplative exercise of taking one natural object, in this case a leaf, and looking at it through various lenses and media. it’s even better when sharing this with a little one and seeing it from her perspective, too.
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