Natural Colors

Leaf painting, also known as leaf carving, originated in the Zhou Dynasty and flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It uses the natural form of leaves and cleverly utilizes their natural veins to create stunning works of art. The work is delicate like a cicada's wings, with natural colors that transform decay into magical beauty. However, due to its difficulty in preservation, many exquisite pieces have been lost over time causing this craft to nearly fall into oblivion. Last August though Ding Li's leaf painting artwork series depicting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" went viral bringing this ancient yet captivating technique back into public view. Ding Li hails from Xianyang City in Hubei Province and has loved painting since he was five years old experimenting with sketching, watercolor painting, and oil paintings while also dabbling in woodcarving, bamboo-carving, stone-carving, nuclear carving etc., all out of pure interest for these different forms of artistry. At thirteen years old he attended an art exhibition where he saw an elderly man using small knives to carve on leaves; fascinated by what seemed like magic he watched him work for almost two hours before being asked if he wanted to learn…