Susanna Bauer’s Intricately Crocheted Leaves Celebrate the Elegance and Ephemerality of Nature

a delicate sculpture made from a magnolia leaf with crocheted lace around the edges

“Breathing lV” (2023), magnolia leaf and cotton thread. All images © Susanna Bauer, shared with permission

Merging organic forms with timeless craft, Susanna Bauer emphasizes incredible details in her intimate leaf sculptures. Working with a range of foraged species, from ginkgo to magnolia to oak, the artist (previously) meticulously stitches around the edges or fills in tiny incisions, creating intricate lacework compositions.

A new monograph Susanna Bauer: IN LEAF, published by 5 Continents Editions, celebrates her use of natural ephemera to create elegant pieces exploring the relationship between strength and fragility. “Nature becomes a metaphor for humanity: the artfully interwoven threads remind us that we are all part of a vaster network and therefore generators of connections,” Valentina de Pasca writes in an introductory essay.

Bauer created a limited edition that includes a magnolia leaf circle crocheted into the opening page. She is releasing these in batches, which have previously sold quickly, so keep an eye on her website for the next update. You can also preorder a standard copy of IN LEAF on Bookshop.

If you’re near Austin, stop by the Affordable Art Fair, which runs May 16 to 19 at the Palmer Events Center, where Bauer is showing work with Muriel Guépin Gallery. Follow more updates on the artist’s Instagram.

 

a delicate sculpture made from a magnolia leaf with crocheted lace around the edges

“Holding Memories” (2024), magnolia leaf and cotton thread

a delicate sculpture made from three magnolia leaves with crocheted lace in the center, connecting them

“Three ll” (2017), magnolia leaves and cotton thread, 18 x 18 centimeters. Photo by art-photographers.co.uk

a delicate sculpture made from two small magnolia leaves with crocheted lace connecting them around the edges

“All I Need” (2023), magnolia leaves and cotton thread

a delicate sculpture made from a fatsia leaf with crocheted lace in circular cutouts in each part of the seven-petaled leaf

“Seven” (2022), fatsia leaf and cotton thread, 29 x 22.5 centimeters. Photo by art-photographers.co.uk

two sculptures made with a magnolia leaf (left) and an oak leaf (right) that have intricate crocheted lace borders

Left: “Adornment XVlll” (2024), magnolia leaf and cotton thread, 19.2 x 10.6 centimeters. Photo by art-photographers.co.uk. Right: “Whisper ll” (2023), oak leaf and cotton thread

two curled magnolia leaves with crocheted lace at the ends

“Side by Side” (2022), magnolia leaves and cotton thread, 14.5 x 12.5 x 4 centimeters. Photo by art-photographers.co.uk

two side by side images of leaf sculptures, on the left showing two ginkgo leaves with a crocheted cutout in the center, and on the right, a magnolia leaf with a crocheted lace border

Left: “Ginkgo Pair lll” (2022), ginkgo leaves and cotton thread. Right: “Shine” (2023), magnolia leaf and cotton thread, 11.7 x 16.4 centimeters. Photo by art-photographers.co.uk

two hands hold a book featuring a leaf sculpture with a crocheted interior, with the title 'Susanna Bauer'

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