Lucky leaves live on in timeless art

Some leaves are luckier than others. Most strut their stuff in autumn with beautiful colors, and then drift to the ground where they quietly become compost.

A lucky few have a higher calling. These find their way to immortality, thanks to their bright colors and bold shapes and textures that are discovered by little girls with art projects and vivid imaginations.

Autumn leaves that fluttered to the ground in the J. Frank Schmidt Jr. Arboretum a few weeks ago were gathered by Andrea and Alyssa Elwell, the daughters Kim and Greg Elwell, JFS Sales Manager.

The assignment was to gather autumn leaves, dry them, and use them in an art project. With the leaves of more than 400 trees to choose from, the Elwell girls had an incredibly diverse palette of shapes, sizes and colors to choose from. Gather they did, and the results are outstanding.

Squirrel with Acorn, created by Andrea Elwell, has the cutest ears ever! Could those pointy, perfectly shaped ears possibly be crafted from Redpointe® Maple leaves?

Alyssa’s Pig was inspired, according to her dad, by Alyssa’s love for pigs.

“She’s always loved pigs,” Greg explained as he proudly pinned the artwork to his office wall.