Under an azure sky, yellow and orange leaves bedeck the earth, and a green mist lies over the cool waters of the lake. The scene is a familiar one in autumn all over the world. As he walks through the fallen leaves, the wanderer might have wild and fanciful thoughts about the meaning of life. The trees send their green and tender shoots into the world in the spring, and burst into full foliage during the summer. But the life of the leaves is short, and eventually they must fall to the ground and disappear back to whence they came. As they hurry about their daily tasks, most people have no time to think about trees, let alone appreciate their beauty. But at least one young man has decided to live a large part of his life in the world of trees, flowers and grass. Yin Teng-kuo has an unusual hobby-he makes pictures by combining cut leaves, in a sense immortalizing them on paper.
Yin smiles shyly as he talks about his special bond with the art of leaf pictures. Some nine years ago, he became acquainted with a beautiful girl, and the two exchanged books as a way of promoting their friendship. On one occasion, the girl returned a book to him along with an attractive bookmark made of beautiful reticulated leaves. Though it was a humble gift, it inspired Yin to express his admiration for the girl in a romantic way. One day he recalled how as a child he used to press leaves between the pages of a book to preserve them. From this, he developed the idea of building up a picture from pressed leaves. Yin's first work was a collage of butterflies made of colorful leaves embellished with flowers, and grass, and accompanied by a love poem. Though Yin has long since lost contact with the girl who first inspired his work, he has become more deeply involved in his art, until it has become part of his life.
On first seeing a leavf picture, the observer might think he could easily compose one himself. But once he realized the complex processes involved, he might have second thoughts.
The major raw materials are leaves, flowers and grass, which after cleaning and arranging, are placed between leaves of newspapers. The newspapers are piled up and pressed flat with boards or other heavy objects. The paper has to be changed every four or five days to prevent mildew. In about six months, the leaves are dry enough to make pictures, and the colors have stabilized.
Many different shapes of leaves in various colors are needed to make up an attractive picture. The first step is to draw a pattern on a piece of white paper, which is then placed on a plantain leaf. A thick board is now placed under the paper, and the three are stapled together. The next step is to carve out the unwanted part, after which the leaf is turned upside down and colorful flowers and leaves are attached to build up the beauty and mood of the picture. It takes an average of a week, working four or five hours a day, to complete one picture.
The art of making leaf pictures resembles closely that of paper cutting, except that the former is more complicated. After carving out the unwanted part of a picture, the flowers, leaves and grass are attached to give a three-dimensional effect. Although it takes a long time to design and engrave a pattern, even more time is required to work out how to use raw materials to the best effect. It is not easy to fasten down a piece of leaf which may be smaller than a finger nail.
Collecting leaves has become an important part of Yin's daily life ever since he started to engage in the art. While studying in college, he lived in a mountain area in Hsintien near Taipei where he was surrounded by a wide variety of beautiful leaves and flowers. He could often be seen wandering along riverbanks and country lanes in the area.
Assessing the artistic value of leaf pictures, Yin said he believes they should be placed between craftsmanship and fine arts. Anyone engaged in the art must have the craftsman's skill combined with a sense of beauty. He should also try to establish his own characteristic style.
Yin is prominent in the field of literature, and has always regarded making leaf pictures as a hobby. As a result, he has never shown his works in public despite the urging of many people who point out that he is the only one in Taiwan specializing in the art. Recently, however, he has indicated that he might be willing to cooperate with someone who is willing to sponsor such an exhibition, in order to spread knowledge of leaf pictures.
Yin's special skill lies in taking a piece of material which no one has paid any attention to, and giving new life to it through his art. This is probably the reason why his works have so much vitality.
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