The Leaf Man

The artwork for Kate’s book was inspired by one of her interviewees, artist Paul West. In a project titled

Silent Voices, Paul etched offbeat or inspirational phrases into the skin of fallen leaves, then hid them back in public woodland. The phrases included:  It’s when you’re frail I love you most  You’re stronger than you think  Memories are selective  Never underestimate the power of your dissatisfaction

Paul doesn’t identify himself on the leaves, but one person who found the ‘frail’ message managed to track him down via Google and thank him, as she happened upon it just after the death of her mother. “I can’t tell you how profound it was to find it so serendipitously,” she wrote to him. “It felt like a message from someone keeping an eye on me.”

You can find Paul’s work at www.p-west.co.uk