树叶与书画的结合，源远流长。从古印度人用贝叶刺刻经文算起已有2500多年的历史。自古以来，人们都在不停尝试用树叶记事或作画，但因技术上的局限性，相关记载并不多见，能流传于后世的作品更是凤毛麟角了。藏于五台山的明代《菩提十八罗汉叶画》便是比较早期的树叶画作品了。
现代叶脉画与古代的贝叶经和叶画不同，是一种全新的工艺美术品。它起源于上世纪九十年代的重庆，创始人为重庆工艺美术界前辈周炳烈先生。在退休后反复琢磨如何将自然天成的精巧无比的叶脉变成一种人见人爱、更具观赏性的艺术品。经反复试验，终于在1996年把这种奇思妙想变成了现实，制作出了张叶脉画。
巧妙地利用树叶的自然肌理，去其叶肉，取起经脉，再将传统山水、人物、花鸟题材融入天然叶脉上，把多彩的画面和谐地与树叶的自然美融会一体，营造出别具韵味、灵秀自然的艺术境地。
LEAF Vein Painting
Deep in the forests in West China artists collect the deciduous leaves of special trees and have them undergo extensive secret treatment to arrive at the marvelous medium we call leaf vein. These masters use the leaf vein as their canvas or rice paper to draw with traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy.
Leaf Veins Painting was first invented in Chongqing. Painting drawn on the soft and thin veins look so different and delicate. Landscape, figures, animals and flowers could all be the subjects and the artworks made from the veins have long been favored by tourists from different part of the world, as either for personal collection or for gifts and presentations in occasions like birthday party, friend visiting, wedding, meeting or just a featured travel souvenir.