I’ve been making paper botanicals for the past 10 years. I’ve explored in depth—flowers, food, insects, and all types of plants using paper as the medium. Around a year and a half ago, I started creating paper mushrooms. I capture the ethereal quality of things that appear in the natural world, but disappear very quickly. Mushrooms have that quality, a magic that is particular to their ethereal form.
I’m always looking for techniques to make paper appear like the real thing. Lately I’ve been excited about using layers of white glue to create a porcelain surface. Many mushrooms have a very smooth, almost cool looking surface.
I’m also fascinated by mushrooms that have almost a furry type surface. I use a wide variety of papers and have found ways to create that fluffy quality. I use around 15 different types of papers to make my pieces. I paint each one to match the colors of the real thing. Nature has endless possibilities of things to create. I feel like I will never run out of subject matter to explore.