Chewing Gum Pavement Art

Chewing gum is found on pavements all over the world. Once chewed, the gum is spat out and stepped on by pedestrians. This process leaves behind a flattened piece of chewing gum that provides the perfect canvas for gum artists. The photo series below shows Ben Wilson, chewing gum artist, at work. He carefully paints each piece of chewing gum with tiny brushes and bright colors, creating a miniature masterpiece that is both fun and psychedelic. This form of street art verges on reverse graffiti; the art of turning the city’s dirt into something attractive.

source:nytimes,greenpicks

Recycling Food as an Art Form

Canadian gum artist Jason Kronenwald doesn’t chew bubble gum himself unless he has to. Instead of chewing the gum himself, he has a dedicated team of chewers. Kronenwald’s art is referred to as Gum Blondes, and are portraits of celebrities rendered in chewing gum.  The soft, chewed gum hardens as it dries, and has a shiny finish to it. Kronenwald’s celebrity fan art portraits include Madonna, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Marilyn Monroe and Jessica Simpson.

Recycling bubble gum and chewing gum as art is thought of as being a “green” or “eco-friendly” practice, because the gum isn’t thrown away after being chewed.

source:coolhunting,itsnotpossible,digitaljournal

Most leaf carvings take weeks or even months to create. The work is incredibly delicate and requires a steady hand and attention to detail. Because of the small size of the finished art piece, mistakes are more noticeable, forcing the leaf carver to work slowly and carefully at all times.

Famous Faces in Fall

A popular subject for leaf sculptures is a portrait of a celebrity or famous personage. These beautiful celebrity portraits are then pressed, preserved and framed so that they will last for decades. Some of the most popular celebrity leaf carvings are of the famous painting The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Jesus Christ and actress Marilyn Monroe.

source:leafcarvingart

Buddha’s Life in Leaf Art

Buddha is the central figure of the Buddhist religion, which practices many forms of meditation. An art form as delicate and painstaking as leaf carving can be quite meditative, as it forces the mind to focus on one thing only. It is apt that Buddha, a symbol of meditation and calm, be the subject of leaf carvings.

source:pressedleafsculpture

Famous Places Carved into Pressed Leaves

Most leaf carving artists like to use leaves from the Chinar tree, native to the Asian countries of Pakistan, India and China,because of the organic structure of the leaf. These leaves are also considered to be lucky in some Asian cultures. Chinar leaves are very similar in appearance to the Maple leaf, the official symbol of Canada. The Maple leaf is another favorite carving medium among leaf sculptors. Shown below are leaf sculptures of The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, The Statue of Liberty in New York, America, and the skyline of the Canadian city; Vancouver.

source:pressedleafsculpture

Leaves of Magic and Mystery

The following images show a miscellany of leaf carving designs. Some are artist’s renditions of an actual creature, such as the Japanese koi fish, and others are products of pure fantasy, such as the Chinese dragon. The two baby angels are from Michelangelo’s fresco painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

source:pressedleafsculpture,leafcarvingart