This sculpture was carved from life, using actual Pin Oak leaves as a reference. Fully hand carved in mammoth ivory. Finished dimensions are 1.7” length x 0.9” wide x 0.9” high and 0.063” thick, a little less than half the size of a real leaf. All colouration is naturally occurring in this piece of mammoth ivory.

BELEAF #1

BELEAF #2

BELEAF #3

BELEAF #4

BELEAF #5

THE PROCESS

I began with a piece of mammoth ivory that I selected, which had a thickness of 0.125” and was flat. Once I completely finished carving the leaf with all details, I started a process to soften the ivory. This takes several days, must be monitored and checked at least twice a day, until the ivory reaches a consistency where it can be safely formed without breakage. At this point, I carefully formed it into the final shape, and left it to dry within a supporting structure to maintain the shape as it dried. This process also increases the translucent quality that was already present once the carving was completed. The drying time was about 24-36 hours.

THE INSPIRATION

Nature is always an inspiration to me. Oak trees of several varieties are common where I live and I selected the Pin Oak because I liked the multiple pointed ends of the leaves. Often, I choose subject matter that is in a state of transition, such as during autumn, when leaves fall and decay. The aspect I wanted to express in this piece is the essence of a leaf, discarded and lifted by the wind. I wanted the observer to experience this directly. For this to be possible, I had to choose the material that would give me the opportunity to attempt this. I chose mammoth ivory because ivory is incredibly strong and yet very flexible. It will also allow for highly refined details to be carved. Mammoth ivory is my favourite of all ivories because of its nature. It has subtle and not so subtle qualities that other ivories do not have.

When the sculpture is blown on gently, it will move in the same manner as a real leaf. I did not take it outside to test this, since I suspect the wind would have taken it forever! 😆