From the Compost Heap header. A pencil style illustration of a compost heap with flowers and plants growing around it. A bee buzzes by and a white rabbit hops by.

Papaya Leaves

A hyper focus project

Sometimes I give the idea that I am “very organized” and have things “all planned out.”

Reader, I do not.

In fact, since becoming a parent I have very little structure and planning in my life at all. But what I do have is hyper focus. And I surf it like a wave whenever it comes for me.

Act 1

A neglected compost heap.

I had big plans for a garden this year. I made a calendar with what to plant each month.

There would be squash.

There would be pumpkins.

There was not squash or pumpkins.

We made it to radishes before my back pain flared up and the whole garden (including the compost heap) was ignored for roughly 8 months.

Act 2

Enter Papaya Stage Left.

Polaroid style photo of compost heap made of wooden pallets. Giant papaya leaves grow out of the top and a flowering tomato plant peeks out of the side.

September 27th

When I started paying attention again there was a giant papaya plant (tree… a baby tree y’all) and burgeoning cherry tomatoes taking over the compost heap.

I learned it was a papaya plant with this cool identify plant feature iPhones have now. I double checked on Google and surely enough it was a match. The leaves are massive, but if we lived in a tropical climate they would get even bigger.

A child's hands hold a giant papaya leaf the size of a dinner plate

I immediately fell in love and knew I had to make art with these.

I wanted to preserve as many as possible before the frost comes in and ruins all the lovely leaves.

(I live in Arkansas so it won’t survive winter, but I’m holding out the smallest hope it might regrow from the root next year.)

October 3rd

I tried to press leaves in the largest book I own, but the edges stuck and out and eventually crumpled up.

Giant Cosmos book clamped shut with my hand for scale. Edges of the papaya leaf peek out the edge.

October 11th

I asked Nathan to cut some plywood to make a massive flower press.

October 12th

I layered cardboard and leaves between two plywood sheets and put two heavy boxes of tubs filled with notebooks (which we pulled out of the attic for another project.)

Giant papaya leaf with my hand for scale. It is the size of the back of a jacket.

Hand for scale.

This is one of the biggest leaves so far.

Like I said, it’s trying to become a tree.

Act 3

Making it work.

I had 3 mediums in mind for the leaves:

  1. Press the leaves to make imprinted pottery over winter.
  2. Ink the leaves and make monoprints on paper.
  3. Print the leaves onto clothing with fabric paint.

I may get to monoprints, but I started with clothing using a bottle of fabric paint I had on hand.

Results were varied, but I learned a lot about the materials.

White test print of a smaller papaya leaf on a brown pillowcase
White test print of a smaller papaya leaf on the back of a pair of green overalls.

I started on a pillowcase and then moved to printing olive green overalls.

This isn’t a DIY post, but I did learn that the best way to apply paint was a large flat brush and that you have to work quickly and thickly (but not too thick) so the paint doesn’t dry before the transfer. It’s also not the most washable technique. It will continue distressing with each wash so I will likely wash as needed using the gentle cycle.

October 16th

I printed two pairs of overalls and the back of an olive green chore jacket.

Giant papaya leaf printed with white paint on the back of a green jacket with my hand for scale. It is roughly 4 times the size of my hand.
I'm a nonbinary human with pale skin, green glasses, and short brownish hair caught on camera laughing by my then four year old. I am wearing hand printed overalls with giant white leaves and a black shirt. My hands are in my pockets and my gray green art studio is behind me.

I’m wearing the overalls with my Gary Graham tee which feels full circle.

I bought this white fabric paint in 2021 after seeing Gary Graham paint a dress on Making the Cut.

I knew I wanted to paint a pair of olive green overalls, but didn’t know what I wanted to paint. Sometimes the seed of inspiration takes a while to sprout, but it’s always worth the wait. 🌱

I am taking a selfie in my green overalls with white papaya leaf on the front. I am smiling and wearing green glasses. I have short brownish hair and pale skin.

After printing these they reminded me of the S. S. Daley collection Dan Levy wore last autumn. I fell in love with these looks on first sight so it was probably an unconscious influence.

I remember seeing the trench coat first and thinking “I want that, but with leaves.” Then I found the second.

Giant papaya leaf with my hand for scale.
Dan Levy on Instagram with an olive green coat and white leaves printed on it

Photo Source: Dan Levy

Wearing: S. S. Daley Fall 2022 & DL Eyewear

Cross Pollinate 🐝