Shelf Mushroom- Snail II
Original Artwork hand burned on a dried 'polypore mushroom'
Polypore mushrooms:
You may know them as "shelf mushrooms", "bracket fungus", "Artist Conks" or another common name.
These are naturally growing fungal bodies that are found on dead and decomposing trees. There are a few different species used, and they are all naturally and sustainably harvested by hand- by Jaydlyn- from her surrounding Kootenay area. Collecting these fruiting bodies does no harm to the organism or it's mycelium- that of which is actually a decomposer: so it will be actively breaking down any tree's it's found on.
The soft underside of these fruiting fungi when dry create a beautiful natural canvas for me to burn on, and they sit nicely on top of a shelf with no stands needed.
These are incredibly unique pieces that are truly one-of-a-kind; as the mushrooms themselves are incredibly unique in nature, as this is not a common art practice.
The Deets: Not to toot my own horn or anything but I really knocked it out of the park for finding a mushroom for every shot I took of this thing. Can never get enough mushrooms.
This mushroom Canvas features a cute little snail- yes I said cute and I stand by it. We have a lot more snails here in the West Kootenays than the East Kootenays and I'm not unhappy about that. One thing I've noticed is their shells are very white as though they are sunbleached, but it's not like snails are just sitting baking in the sun over here so I've wondered if it has something to do with their diet. Remind me to look into this.
This piece features a piece of the tree bark which the mushroom was growing on. These conks are found on rotting wood, so it's not uncommon for a bit of the tree to come with them, and I love it when it happens, both for the esthetic and because it usually balances nicely vs the ones I need to shave down to level.
The mushroom used as a canvas is A "Red-belted conk" or 'Fomitopsis mounceae'.
These polypore mushrooms actually have a little natural border along the outer edge, it's usually about half a cm or less thick, and a different texture than the inner fleshy parts: firmer and more pronounced- I try to leave these borders natural, as I think it adds to the uniqueness of how that mushroom in particular decided to grow. So the inconsistency you see in the border is actually the mushrooms natural border.
- 2" x 1.5" across the image area
- 1.5" tall
- 1" x 2" across bottom base, which includes a bit of the log it was growing on.
- Weight: 12g
- Naturally grown polypore mushroom
- *NOT* Affixed with hanging hardware or standing hardware- Sits on it's own base on a shelf.
- Certificate of authentication
Each piece is unique and a one of a kind original creation by Jaydlyn Joan.