The beginning of something
The work of cultivating artistic expression has been courting me, as I have been courting it both directly and subtly my entire life. In truth, I have always been an artist… and I use that term broadly, as I truly believe that EVERYONE that allows their creative expression to flow is an artist, from music to doodles to macrame to castles in the sand.
Although I had been making art for years, and always received praise and affirmations for it from those who would witness, I never shared it widely, but rather it lied bound in notebooks and portfolios hidden away form the public eye.
Here is a peek into one transformational moment that helped give me confidence to share my art in a big way for the first time.
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It all began in my minds eye in a forest in Oregon.
It was a cool, sunny day. I was at a fungal dyeing workshop at the 2018 Radical Mycology Convergence in Mulino, OR. I was so elated to be here, my first of what I can now say as many times working with fungi as a natural dye.
There was an elaborate set up of many tools familiar and non. By the pots and burners lie a large woven willow basket filled to the brim with beautiful, blue-hue Trametes versicolor, or turkey tail mushroom, which we would later boil and use to dye hemp-fabric scarves.
As the well water boiled, before we did anything with the mushrooms themselves, the workshop instructor requested that we spend some time connecting with the fungi. She recommended that we acknowledge and cultivate relationship with the mushrooms, put in loving intention and give reverence and gratitude. Each of us gathered a handful of turkey tails and walked out into a nearby clearing surrounded by beautiful deciduous forest to meditate with them.
I walk, looking down at my cupped hand. A sing, fanned fruiting body looks back at me, glistening in the sunslight. I notices the tiny, hairlike fibers of the mushrooms surface, and the intricacy of the concentric rings and how they were distinguished by a wide diversity of colors; blue, grey, orange, brown. I was awe struck.
I found my place amongst the leaf litter, and dropped in, bringing by closed hand to my womb space.
At some point during my meditation, I felt a very tangible wave of gentle, warm energy come over me. I witnessed my astral-spirit-body literally leave my physical body. Carry my awareness, I stood up, took several steps forward, and turned around to look back at my still sitting physical form.
Although originally fully clothed, there I sat (my physical form), now completely naked with a giant, brilliant blue turkey tail growing where my head once was. Where my flesh touched the earth, mycelium grew with vigor, infinitely expanding in all directions, slithering into the soil. Glowing golden aura radiated all around me.
After my astral body and awareness lovingly observed this new mushroom/Godddess hybrid version of me for a long while, I waled back to my physical form and jumped back in.
What seemed like many lifetimes later, I opened by eyes. I looked down. Felt by body. Felt my head. No big mushroom. Bummer. Slowly, I came out of my trance and immediately sketched my vision down in my notebook. Although I knew I could never tangibly represent the magic and divinity of what I felt or saw, I felt compelled to at least attempt to share my vision.
Thus, birthed the series of fungal Goddesses I share with you today!
I paint all these mushroom Goddesses on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with a hand crafted mushroom ink I make from Coprinus comatus. Find prints of all of these in my Shop
