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Lady of the Leaves

The bounty of fall is artist’s muse and tool

Written by Elizabeth Parsons
Photography by Doug Miller

On a crisp, fall morning, artist Val Padar is gearing up for a long day in the woods. Decked in thick jeans and her most comfortable walking shoes, she dusts off her “hunting spear,” a long pole fashioned with a sharp blade at its end, perfect for the petite, 5’2” woman’s impending task. Padar is embarking on a safari, but of a very specific kind: the artist is “hunting” large and unusual leaves.

The trip is the first step of the longtime artist’s latest endeavor: the creation of hand-sculpted leaf art pieces. Trees and “their bounty,” as Padar calls the foliage, are both inspiration and tools in creating the popular pieces she has been making for over two years.

“Since a young girl, I have had a love, admiration, and fascination with trees,” she recalls. Padar sees her work not only as the product of creative expression; it is an environmental and spiritual statement. “Dancing in the wind, the soft rustling of their leaves seemed to whisper to me. Their presence nourished me,” she continues. “They have always imparted a [sense] of calm and peace.”

The artist hopes her work inspires others to be more conscious of the delicate beauty that surrounds them, too. “I wish people were more mindful of the many gifts [trees] give us, realizing how they help to sustain the Earth, and mankind.” During Padar’s safaris, she is careful to only take what she needs, and only from healthy, sturdy specimens. Although it may sound strange, she laughs, she is sure to silently thank each tree for its gift.

In the studio, Padar takes almost a week to complete each sculpture, which range in size from just six inches across to an enormous 26” x 24.” “A lot of people think the work is ceramic but it is actually a cement mixture, which is a very different medium.” Using a precise ratio of sand and cement, Padar overlays an actual, scavenged leaf with a layer of the raw material, and sculpts around it. “My leaves are not as you’d find them in nature,” she explains. “I add more anatomy and detail as I go along.” Padar then lets the formation dry for 2-3 days in her studio. Using a variety of chisels, picks, brushes, and later, sandpaper, she carefully scrapes away the organic material, deepening some of the veins and crevices and smoothing out others according to her vision. When she’s satisfied with the bone white form, she begins on the last and most important step: the application of color.

“Nature is a much better artist than I am,” Padar admits, “and her work would be impossible to recreate exactly.” Instead, the artist deviates from Earth’s natural palette with metallic coats, bits of raffia (fine fiber), dried flowers, and sometimes, a dull shimmer, as if the piece were dusted in a soft layer of snow. She uses a variety of painting techniques. “I’m always experimenting,” the artist claims.

Leaf casting has been done before; it is Padar’s treatment of the finished product that makes each unique. The rich and unusual color combinations draw attention, and have earned her many repeat buyers on the Roanoke City Market and from various regional galleries.

Padar has become somewhat of an expert in working with leaves. She’s learned that sugar maples, squash, sycamore, and rhubarb varieties work best—some of them plucked from her own garden, when not gathered during her contemplative “safaris.” Often, when she doesn’t have the chance to go to the forest, the forest comes to her. People deposit leaves at her studio doorstep, or drop by her market booth to give directions to promising groves. “My regulars know to look for interesting shape, texture, a nice, heavy weight, and fine detail,” Padar says.

The first time she created a fig leaf was at the urging of a customer, in fact. He wanted to surprise his wife, who was fascinated by fig trees. He brought leaves from which Padar sculpted, and to say thank you, he delivered a small tree right to her doorstep.

Padar uses elephant ear leaves to create her largest pieces, reaching an enormous 35” x 24.” Her smallest pieces are just six inches across, often sculpted from maple leaves. Prices range $16 to $150 dollars, depending on the size.

The leaf series is the latest from Padar’s Visions company. Long a fixture in Roanoke’s art scene, Padar is best known for her jewelry, which she sold to boutiques like La De Da, Present Thyme, plus regional arts and crafts fairs. Her earlier work in jewelry exhibits the same passion for nature: deep, layered tones of partially melted bronze and silver embedded with semi-precious stones. The shapes, gentle swirls and loose, organic forms, are reminiscent of those found in the natural world. Padar still makes jewelry, but on a much smaller scale—after a decade of the tedious work, she wanted to work on larger projects.

Despite what Padar initially thought would be a passing interest, she’s been creating the leaf pieces for over two years now. But as a self-described explorer who “gets bored easily,” she’s eager to branch out again. The artist has begun experimenting with acid-free alcohol inks, and is curious about new mediums like paper clay. “There are so many wonderful ways to express oneself,” she points out. “I’d like to combine my knowledge of clay, metal, and jewelry into future projects.”

Regardless of the creative endeavor, however, the artist’s connection to the trees is never far from her mind. “I see them as the overseers of mankind, as living monuments. I want my work to always pay homage to that.”

Val Padar’s displays her work at the Roanoke City Market most weekends. You can also see her work at An Artist’s View Gallery in Buena Vista, or purchase pieces from Through the Garden Gate in Roanoke and Peaks of Otter Gift Shop. For more information, email the artist at vpadar@hotmail.com or dial 540.342.7715.

Posted: October 1st, 2006 under Visions.

Lady of the Leaves

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