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My desk and my free time have been given over to mushrooms– the best thing to come of our recent exceedingly hot, humid weather. The area under a small grove of oaks in our yard has been very productive. Many mushrooms form mycorrhizal relationships with plants, and oaks have particular fungi associated with them. In this partnership, the fungus provides the tree with nutrients, especially phosphorus, while the tree gives the fungus carbon. Over the years, I’ve tried to track and record as many species as I can, though it’s a challenge. Identifying them is often bewildering, as is keeping up with new ones emerging each day and competing with squirrels who seem to delight in romping through and wrecking them.
Tips and Techniques– Talk about symbiotic relationships: watercolor is a perfect medium for mushrooms and mushrooms are a perfect subject for learning watercolor. Mushroom shapes are simple to paint—upside down cups and cones on top of cylinders—so they are excellent subjects for learning to tone shapes to make them dimensional. Mushrooms also will teach you about subtle color mixing, layering, and mark making. If you find mushrooms near you—pull out your paints and enjoy!
Drawn In 
Jean! Everything you sketch and paint is amazing, but you are the Queen of Mushrooms! So glad your fungi are surviving the heatwave (did you sketch all emerging the first week – first page?). So many more species, and some very unique shapes, encountered week 2 – second page! All very beautiful, and you make watercoloring them look so easy! The free paint along mini classes you’ve offered in the past were awesome but quite challenging when it came to applying watercolor without overworking. If only our dry, dry, dry soils would receive moisture enough to find mushrooms to draw! Come on monsoons!
Especially loved the crested coral and the stem of the violet-grey bolete! Fun!
‘thanks for sharing, always!
Hi Barb- I’m happy to bear the title of Queen of Mushrooms! Ours seem to thrive on heat, humidity, and rain. In other habitats, they may prefer cooler temps, but rain is usually key. The crested coral was an unusually find, and sort of unappealing and interesting at the same time.
Beautiful speads, Jean. The colours are so lovely. Just looking at them produces a peaceful mood. Who would have thought?
I enjoy putting similar species together on a page (whether birds, or seeds, or mushrooms). The comparisons are intriguing and fitting them in on a single spread is a fun challenge. Glad you enjoyed them!
I particularly like how the color violet reappears several times across the two sketches… a stem, a frill, a shadow. It’s a beautiful color, and evokes hot moist air in shade.
Yes– that violet-tan color repeated on several quite dissimilar mushrooms. I’m working on some tonight where a ruby-wine color repeats. The mushroom palette!
You did them wonderfully.
Thanks Eunice!
I love these pictures, and you love your mushrooms! I have them growing in my vegetable planter pots, and don’t love them there!
I do love painting mushrooms. Good luck with your garden pots!
Fun to see this today! On my early morning walk before the heat set in I found a family False Parasol mushrooms. There were five large ones that had popped up over night. I am trying to paint them today. They are mainly white with touches of tan on the parasol. Great fun!
Sounds fun, Joanne! Hope the painting goes well!