Artist Forages Fallen Flora and Arranges It Into Exquisite Portraits of Animals and Insects

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Montreal-based artist Raku Inoue 井上 羅来 highlights natural connections in his stunning arrangements. Using found materials, he organizes leaves, petals, and twigs into the shapes of different animals, from scarlet birds to multicolored fish.

Before making these plant-based arrangements, Inoue practiced drawing, painting, graphic design, and sculpture. “Nature has always been a great source of inspiration and one gloomy day, it given me a sign,” he tells My Modern Met. “The rose bush in my backyard was getting rustled by the wind so I went outside and foraged the petals along with a few stems and leaves. I used those to make my very first floral insect sculpture which ultimately jump-started my floral creations that I am known for today.”

When making personal work, Inoue lets the environment determine what he will create next. Due to this, the color palette of his arrangements will shift depending on the season. In the fall, for instance, his art uses warm red leaves, and in the spring, the animals are made of blossoms and green foliage. “Usually, I will find a particular material, such as leaves or a twig that I find interesting,” he says. “After that, I come up with a subject that would make great use of the materials. In both cases, I like to highlight the beauty of the materials and let nature shine through my creations.”

You can purchase prints of Inoue's work via his online store and keep up to date with the artist's latest work by following him on Instagram.

Montreal-based artist Raku Inoue 井上 羅来 creates fantastic arrangements using plants.

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

He carefully places individual flower petals and leaves of different colors to create animals.

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Since he uses found materials, the color palette of his art changes with the season.

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

In the fall, his art uses warm red leaves, and in the spring, the animals are made of blossoms and green foliage.

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Plant Arrangements by Raku Inoue

Raku Inoue: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Raku Inoue.

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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