Crater Makers: A.L. Creatives

I love seeing beautiful photos and paintings of my favourite city but these beautiful local scenes painted on leaves are definitely the most unique. We’re a huge fan of Alex’s work and when we met her at a brunch over the holidays, we knew we needed to find out more about her art and her creative process.

A.L. Creatives started as a name and instagram page to showcase my various forms of art and design. I like to do a variety of different things so I tried to use a name that could encompass everything together. In the past year, my focus has been leaf art and trying to connect those paintings with wildlife and environmental issues and awareness for ways individuals can reduce their day to day waste to create positive change.

Before the leaf art, I had started experimenting with painting Welcome signs on previously used wood boards. I wanted a way to create art while also upcycling and having a minimal impact on the environment. I was using old deck boards, wood pieces from thrift stores and various other items like paddles and small furniture. Eventually I stumbled across a photo online where the artist had painted the leaves entirely black before painting a city scape onto it. I thought this was a wonderful idea but thought it was a shame that the beauty and colour of the leaf was covered. I painted my first leaf with this in mind and painted a scene that I felt represented Northern Ontario and showed the beauty of the Red Silver Maple Leaf at the same time. It certainly wasn’t my best piece but over the following months I painted a few more and eventually my painting technique evolved enough to be able to showcase my pieces. Being able to create meaningful artwork while having a minimal impact on the environment and also be able to highlight the natural beauty of the leaves is what has inspired me to continue with it.

Many of the ideas for the paintings started when I would think about my home and areas I grew up. Sunsets have always been a soft spot of mine and I began recreating those images at first. Gradually I shifted to subjects that other people could also connect with around the community and with wildlife. More and more I am creating wildlife paintings to highlight the issues that each species faces in Ontario and in Canada. Promoting conservation really sparks the ideas for the wildlife pieces. I generally try to paint using my own photographs but will use reference photos online for the animals and then incorporate them into an environment I have seen before, if possible.

My pieces are definitely one of a kind because of the leaves. Each leaf is so uniquely different even if I have created two of the same paintings (which I always add in details of difference) the leaves themselves create the largest point of difference. I do accept commissions. It is definitely an exciting process to see the subjects and areas other people would like painted. I especially love when I am brought the leaves that they have collected from their cottage or a special event. My favourite so far has been painting the view of a wedding onto the very leaves that were part of the alter arrangement. Creating something as special as that was a very exciting request.

I have pieces available for purchase online through Etsy at ALCreativesShop.etsy.com. To see some pieces in person I have a variety hanging at Kuppajo Espresso Bar on Larch St. in Sudbury and I will also be a vendor at the Sudbury Gardening Festival on May 26th.

Don’t be afraid. I hesitated for so long thinking “there’s no way someone would want to buy this” or “my painting just isn’t there yet”. We are our own worse critics! Don’t waste any more time and just put it out there and you will learn and evolve along the way – which in a way, is a really fun part of it all!