Kyaw Nyo

Kyaw Nyo is inspired by the beauty of nature, in particular the native trees of Myanmar and their different leaves. He studies the colour, shape, size and texture of leaves, but for him, the texture is the most moving. Thus, the technique he uses to produce these artworks enables him to reproduce faithfully the texture of the leaves. He creates a “paint leaf” by applying a thick coat of paint to the real leaf, then fixing this to the canvas in the composition he has chosen. When the paint is dry, he removes the real leaf. On most of these collages, there are several layers of leaves, which he builds up over days and weeks. The starting point for all these works is the natural organic material of the leaf – the emotions evoked in him by his selection of leaves determines the base colors he will use in these works. He often favors the fiery colors of autumn with reds, golds and yellows.

His use of the diptych or triptych format is a stylized representation of groups of trees.

His ambition is to create unexpected vistas from beautiful, but common materials to make us see the common leaf in a new way. He selects the leaves for his artworks carefully, looking for ones that suggest different elements to him. Some of the leaves look as if they are flying through the air, others suggest deep ponds and reflecting water.