Fall Bounty
Fall Bounty
An Eastern Screech owl looks on obliviously as a mouse in the leaf litter decides it’s too close for comfort. Leaves and fallen branches with acorns on the ground. Hidden insects creep and crawl in the debris.
The idea for this image began with a strange and beautifulmushroom.
In the fall of 2021, I noticed something large and white attached to one of our Silver Maple trees. The afternoon sun was hitting the object just right which made it stand out so clearly against the dark shadows of the trees. Immediately, I had to trek down into the woods and see what this thing was for myself.
In a gap where the bark of the tree’s branch was damaged and split, a Lion’s Mane mushroom (the size of a large grapefruit perhaps?) was growing. They’re one of the easiest and safest mushrooms to identify, so I confidently harvested it. That evening, I sauteed it with a bit of butter and a tiny pinch of old bay seasoning and we ate it on sandwiches with lettuce and mayo. Lion’s mane tastes like lobster but better. It’s very light and not chewy at all.
We have another larger Silver Maple that’s nearing the end of its life, hollowed by termites, carpenter ants, and likely inhabited by a multitude of bats and flying squirrels. We’re allowing it to gradually return to the ground rather than taking it down in the hope that it too, will become a host for the Lion’s Mane mushroom.
Every nook and cranny of my drawings are stuffed full of all manner of living things— just like it is in the natural world. There is no vacuum on Earth that nature doesn’t fill. This simple fact always reminds me to embrace Life’s abundance— that joy belongs to each and every one of us. May abundance find you and keep you always in its company.
Graphite drawing on archival Arches paper, mounted to hardboard. 16” x 20”. 2022.
Framed in a black metal frame under glass with edge spacers (no mat).
I’d be happy to send you additional photos of the framed art if you’d like.
Art will be shipped wrapped in a plastic sleeve with rigid foam against the glass, and then double-boxed in a cardboard container. USPS Priority 2-day insured shipping.
