Advertisement
Become a member of the Big Issue community
JOIN
Art

Artist Aasen Stephenson turns leaves into astounding works of art: 'Nothing beats what nature makes'

Artist Aasen Stephenson uses what's freely available in nature to create his work

The Leaf Man at work in his studio

The Leaf Man at work in his studio. Image: Gavin Wallace

It’s 8am on a crisp Tuesday morning in my local park. The Leaf Man emerges from the mist. In certain artistic circles, and among his thousands of Instagram followers, the intricately hand-cut designs that Aasen Stephenson painstakingly carves into leaves are highly coveted, and they’re all crafted in his Northampton studio.   

The conditions, I’m told, make this morning perfect for our meeting. “You have to collect the leaves at the right time,” Stephenson explains as we walk.

The Leaf Man at work
The Leaf Man at work. You can see a selection of his work on the other photos featured below. Image: Gavin Wallace

“I go out on a morning with a nice dew like today’s, and after a windy night is always best.” 

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter.

I pick up the first leaf I see and hold it out for inspection. A shake of the head. “You want a fresh fallen leaf; no decay, symmetrical, no folds or creases.” 

Finding the perfect leaf proves to be more difficult than I anticipated. “What you lose in time, you make up for in money,” The Leaf Man says. “When I first started out, I was experimenting with cutting paper or leather scraps and using that as a stencil to spray-paint paper. 

Advertisement
Advertisement
The Leaf Man's skeleton image

“But then you think of all that material, the cost and waste that’s left over – especially if something goes wrong and you have to scrap a piece.  

“When I started out with art, doing it seriously, I had no money to live – let alone buy art supplies! But leaves… leaves are free and beautiful before I’ve even turned them into art.” 

Working with leaves is different to using more traditional materials. They’re more delicate, each with its own personality already imprinted on its surface. Stephenson wanted to find a way to keep the leaf’s essence while still adding his own mark. 

“One day, I just went for it,” he said of his first leaf-cutting experience. “It was tricky but I managed it. Then, the next day, they had all curled up and were completely unusable. That was the first learning curve. I went back to the drawing board and figured out how to dry and press them to work with them better. 

The Leaf Man's Liberty image

“The leaves are so delicate it’s like cutting a crisp without it breaking, you have to have such a steady hand. I love using things nature has made. It’s just a simple leaf; it’s grown, given us oxygen, and then fallen to the floor and back to the earth. It’s then trodden on and squashed into the mud so for me to take a few and make people look at them differently feels like a responsibility.  

“Since I started making them, I’m forever just looking at leaves and marvelling at their skill to keep us alive when we care so little about them.” 

The Leaf Man's I Fell For You design

Even before turning to leaves, Stephenson’s passion for nature influenced his work. “My studio is full of rocks and shells, feathers, plants, and just about anything I find out and about,” he says – and he’s not lying. When we arrive at his studio from Northampton’s Abington Park, the park that inspired his first foray into leaf cutting, and whose museum has displayed his work in two exhibitions to date, I’m astounded by the trinkets cluttering the space.  

It’s a cacophony of natural objects; twisted branches, unusually coloured pebbles, bits of bark and driftwood. 

“Nothing beats what nature makes,” he says, tracing along the veins of a dried leaf on his worktop with his fingertip. “It really speaks to me. I can’t remember ever not liking it and now it’s my entire life.” 

For our Earth Day magazine special, we asked The Leaf Man to create a cover for us with a simple message. This is the result. Look for it on sale from your local vendor, 22-28 April.

Check out more of Stephenson’s artwork

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine, which exists to give homeless, long-term unemployed and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy!

If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play

Advertisement

Become a Big Issue member

3.8 million people in the UK live in extreme poverty. Turn your anger into action - become a Big Issue member and give us the power to take poverty to zero.

Recommended for you

View all
'It's art for people': This one-man kayak project shows the beauty of slowing down
Lying down flat in a kayak offers a rarely seen view of the UK’s waterways
Art

'It's art for people': This one-man kayak project shows the beauty of slowing down

'I cried my eyes out making this': Meet the artists in homeless exhibition backed by Prince William
david tovey
Art

'I cried my eyes out making this': Meet the artists in homeless exhibition backed by Prince William

Superstar Arts: This charity gives people with learning disabilities the chance to create
Art

Superstar Arts: This charity gives people with learning disabilities the chance to create

'Each brush tells a story of hope': Homeless artist hosts exhibition to help himself off the streets
homeless artist David Bedford
Homelessness

'Each brush tells a story of hope': Homeless artist hosts exhibition to help himself off the streets

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know