Starting some magic here!
I hope you're all doing well! Autumn is always a prolific time of year for me creatively, and lately I've been seeing some projects to fruition. I'll get right to it: perhaps the most exciting of these projects has been working on starting up a Patreon page!
If you aren't familiar with Patreon, it is a site where creators can curate a more specialized behind-the-scenes look into what it is they do. It's set up so you may pledge what you please, but there are membership tiers -- each with their own exclusive perks!
When you become a Patron, you become a member of a little community where you have access to full pages from my sketchbooks, full length process videos, and special goodies you won't find anywhere else! Plus, I'll offer early access to my shop updates so you can reserve what you want before the public.
I have been sketching, filming, painting, editing, and scheming! I have so much planned for this! I think I should also mention that I will be making a mini block print each season for my $5 tier Patrons!
Having this set up means that I will be consistently sharing more content than I ever have, and I have to say I am really looking forward to it. I also look forward to your feedback, and I'd love to know what kind of content you'd be most interested in seeing as a Patron.
So far I've set up two membership tiers. I encourage you to take a look!
A little bit about the mushroom painting: Fungi have always interested me -- they come in an array colors and sizes; they're fascinating organisms that grow in secret in the most perfect conditions, or on your front lawn; they have the power to kill, or to heal; they've been foraged and used for centuries, and been at the center of folklore; they're ugly, they're beautiful, they're delicious and magical.
I had recently been reading about ink caps (not only does their decomposition make them appear to be dripping ink, but they have literally been used to make writing ink) shaggy ink caps (Coprinus comatus) to be exact. I don't remember what had sent me down that rabbit hole, I just remember being thoroughly fascinated that something like this really exists. The start of autumn was wet. I had gone to an outdoor museum with my family once the rain had subsided. The art was lovely and the grounds were sprawling, some areas wooded, some cleared. I caught it in my peripheral, tucked away off the trail, undisturbed by foot traffic -- a little patch of tall, spindly dark mushrooms.
The air around them smelled awful; a strange mix of latex-like mushroom and rotting plant matter, but I was enchanted! I researched mushrooms when I got home, and I am pretty certain that these are magpie ink caps (Coprinopsis picacea). Though, I am not knowledgeable in mycology. If you ever see one, know that it is absolutely inedible.
Every bit of art I produce has some symbolic meaning, maybe I'll get more into that someday. Stumbling upon some ink caps shortly after reading about them seemed like a good way to start this new chapter. I hope you'll join me x
Love always,
Keli and the Grey's Posy Team