The latest trend in avocados? Art.

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It started with toast, but where does it end? Avocados have now entered the art world.

The fruit proves a tricky canvas for artists unaccustomed to a squishy green canvas, but SFGATE found four global artists at the forefront of the avo-art field. (See their work in the above slideshow).

Daniele Barresi of Australia wields a carving knife like a young Caravaggio, creating ornate avocados worthy of a museum's baroque collection. Ireland's Jan Campbell takes a different approach. She ditches the flesh for the stone, chiseling the smooth seed into serene faces and cross-legged men with beards.

Colette Dike, a food stylist and photographer in Amsterdam, blends Barresi and Campbell's aesthetics with a foodie sensibility. Dike coaxes the fruit into roses, ribbons and "gardens" suited for equally photogenic smoothies.

Dike says it only takes her a few minutes to carve her creations, ideal for a fruit that browns within minutes of exposure to the open air. Avocado's fleeting nature, coupled with its striking colors, make avo art well-suited to the photo-centric platform of Instagram, on which Dike rose to fame.

After a photoshoot, however, the art doesn't go to waste, Dike says.

"I can assure you," she said, "We eat all avo creations!"

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.