Lotus Leaf Art. The Lotus Leaf Art team spend a lot of time choosing the correct lotus leaves. These are harvested from lotus leaf ponds from all over Thailand. To ensure the leaves are perfect any leaves that are not pure enough are discarded.
The larger the leaf the deeper the water it is grown in, so some leaves need to be harvested by boat others in shallow water. The colours vary due to the age of the leaves. A younger leaf is brighter in colour. A darker leaf is older.
Each leaf is a different shape, size and colour. After harvesting they are cleaned and then left to line dry in the shade. Once they have chosen the leaves they go through a colouring process, some are coloured up to 8 times to get the right colour shades, once dyed they are hung again in the shade like clothes with pegs on outdoor lines to dry, this can take days dependant on weather conditions.
Canvas is then stretched over premade framing and painted in preparation for the leaves. Jaeb and her team do up to 3 panels at a time, so the art can be hung in a group situation with the leaves matching up on each panel. When designing the art, the artisan will choose the right size and colour of each leaf.
Each leaf is artfully placed then attached to the canvas often overlapping one another, after they have been placed they are cleaned, then left to dry, then have an acrylic resin applied, which gives the artwork a stunning gloss. Then gold dust is applied to the lotus leaf veins to accentuate them.