It’s something really special when unique things surface in the art world and artists are able to astonish with things that we generally wouldn’t even assume are possible. We marvel at an artist’s ability to mold materials into something thought-provoking, eye catching, or just plain beautiful and these two artists from the UK have certainly accomplished all three in their remarkable grass sculptures.

Dan Harvey and Heather Ackroyd work in a medium that’s not found in any art supply store. They create literal living sculptures and portraits out of grass. Using a paste to cover canvas, buildings, or really any surface they want to, they apply germinated grass seed in a thick layer and basically wait for the art to grow like the classiest Chia pet imaginable. The portraits are created by prepping a surface and then blocking out all possible light except for a film negative projected onto the seed, which essentially develops the film into the grass. The areas of seed that receive brighter bits of light through the film negative grow with more chlorophyll resulting in stronger greens while the darker areas remain a paler yellowish color. 

While we see the entire process in the video (by the Great Big Story YouTube channel), it’s still difficult to wrap our heads around just how beautiful these portraits come out. A living portrait of grass blades become the developed photograph with a level of detail we would never expect and have us planning a trip the the nearest home improvement store to try this sort of thing ourselves.

What photograph would you want developed in grass? Something industrial would certainly make a statement. Let’s discuss our green-thumbed ideas in the comments below!

Images: Great Big Story