Kanat Nurtazin works as a manager at the Center for Preparatory Studies of Nazarbayev University in Nursultan, the newly renamed capital of Kazakhstan. He is also a passionate artist.  A while ago he decided to come up with 100 methods of drawing, so he challenged himself to find new materials to work with and create new art. Kanat says he "wanted to tell the people is that art has no borders, that you can actually create something from anything if you want to do that."

He is mostly known for a technique he uses on natural leaves. It's a difficult process that requires patience. He first plans what he would like to create, makes a drawing and then carefully cuts pieces of the delicate leaves to transform them into beautiful art pieces. 

Kanat uses his art as a way of releasing stress and finding peacefulness. 

He touches different themes, such as love with a picture of a couple holding each other in care, or a person praying with a mosque in the background... and sometimes of joyful figures such as Superman. One that may be of interest to many Game of Thrones fans is a picture of the famous iron throne. 

But he also likes to draw attention to serious issues as well, such as the environment. One of his pieces was about pollution. "Previously we had problem with smoke, so I created one with a girl with a mask to show it's very difficult to breathe here in the big cities," he says

Kanat also enjoys making art of out pancakes. He carefully plans the contours of the portrait he intends to make… pouring the pancake mix step by step. Once the pancake is ready, a familiar face emerges. Some of his pancake portraits include Macaulay Culkin from the movie "Home Alone" and Don Corleone from the "Godfather."  For CGTN he made a delicious treat out of famous Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen. 

Kanat also hopes his art inspires others to discover their own passions "to show that everyone can draw, everyone can just be creative."

"You just have to be open to all the ideas and do not be scared about new challenges," he says.

(Cover: Artwork by Kanat Nurtazin. /Photo courtesy of Kanat Nurtazin)