“Hurricane Hillary’s recent passing brought along slightly cooler now early autumn weather and more assertive winds, resulting in a tapestry of leaves and branches blanketing the ground. This natural mosaic captures my attention as I walk my kids to school. I observe fresh-fallen leaves intertwining with those that have aged since their descent, slowly turning from verdant to shades of brown. But fall hasn’t fully unveiled its rich color palette just yet. I also pay attention to the fallen branches. This gives me a chance to examine the natural arrangement of the leaves and to visualize how they would look on a 2D medium such as paper.
There are many oak trees on our path and in the neighborhood. They are shedding their leaves generously which inspires me. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I find joy in tracing these fallen beauties to hone my drawing skills. There’s a certain charm in seeking out leaves that stand out, be it in their shape, color, or size. Yesterday, an exceptionally tiny oak leaf caught my eye. To give you a sense of its diminutive size, it snugly fits within the confines of a post-it note! I measured it and it is just two inches.
I have seen small leaves before on oak saplings. It would be a shame to pick a leaf from such a young little tree so have not. This fallen leaf, however, has triggered a tsunami of ideas in my head. It definitely added to my growing collection of oak leaf stencils. It also brought back memories from my childhood. I loved tiny things as a child. It is an interest that has persisted over the years.
