From field guide to art book

In 2009 Leanne Shapton walked into a Toronto used bookstore and came across a 1956 edition of The Native Trees of Canada. The book is a comprehensive field guide featuring black and white photos of every kind of tree and leaf imaginable, and it inspired Leanne to paint these bold interpretations, which were published last year in the book of the same name.

Here's samples of Leanne's versions, side by side with the corresponding photos.








Looks like in its day the original Native Trees was a Canadian publishing sensation. Who knew?

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