"I make art out of autumn": the British artist using fallen leaves as a canvas

As autumn approaches and the season's leafy-carpet gathers on our pavements and in our gardens and parks, one man sees beyond the detritus and uses nature’s bounty to create something quite spectacular.

Aasen Stephenson, an artist based in Northampton, carves crisp fallen leaves into stunning pieces of art. The 37-year-old, who has lived in the Midlands town all his life, has been cutting several leaves a month for the past few years.

"They're all cut by hand. I pick the leaves in September and October from local parks and on walks." he explains.

"On a wet and windy day it's best to pick them just as they drop and have moisture still in them. They press so much better then."

"I've tried lots of things to press them but the best thing I've found is a big pile of thick glossy magazines! The shine on the pages presses them really well, much better than normal paper for some reason. The weight of the pile of the magazines press them really flat."

After around a month of pressing, the designs are then carved using simple tools: a craft blade, a cutting mat, a lamp and a pen to mark out designs. 

"I find it relaxing, they are a pleasure to make"

Aasen says it take a lot of practice and patience to produce the beautiful designs, whilst ensuring that the structure of the leaf does not fall apart.

"They can crack and crumble at any moment and then you have to start again. I work all the designs around the veins so it all holds together. I love doing them."

For Aasen, sycamore leaves produce the best designs: "They just press well. Not too many veins, good sizes and they look nice framed up. I've cut so many leaves! I work with anything that presses well and is nice to cut. I once cut "Merry Christmas" into a holly leaf without pressing it!"

"A cup of tea and some music helps too," Aasen says.

So successful are his designs, that Aasen has even been commissioned by British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood to create 28 of the hand cut leaves. original designs. Alongside that, he's carved some beautiful Autumnwatch ones. Thanks Aasen, we're flattered! 

"They can crack and crumble at any moment and then you have to start again. I work all the designs around the veins so it all holds together. I love doing them."

"I find it relaxing, they are a pleasure to make and it's great that people ask me to make them. It's always fun to see how much work you can put into a simple leaf that's just fallen to the floor that otherwise people walk on and would rot away.

"For me its good to save some and turn them into things that people want and have framed on their walls and that they treasure."

---

Want to have a go yourself? Send us your pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.