Morning Art Family,
The mystical month of October has been filled with vibrant colours, ethereal fog, and the appearance of mushrooms, brought forth by England's devoted God of rain. A few weekends ago, while walking my dog in the forest, I stumbled across an astonishing variety of mushrooms growing beneath a beech tree. Although I have explored mushrooms in my artistic research for many years, I had never considered dyeing with them before. Is it even possible? This month’s Newsletter is all about the magic behind the mushroom.
Mushrooms throughout history
Mushrooms have a long and fascinating history intertwined with our evolution, culture, religion, and lifestyle. While this topic warrants an in-depth Newsletter in the future, here are some key points of personal interest for today:
In 1992, the controversial ethnobotanist Terence McKenna proposed the “stoned ape theory.” He suggested that the consumption of psychedelic fungi may have played a crucial role in the emergence of language, self-reflection, and the development of human culture. Rock art depicting mushrooms suggests that our ancestors were aware of and utilized mushrooms for their nutritional and likely psychedelic properties—perhaps McKenna was onto something?
Mind-altering effects have led to mushrooms being included in rituals and ceremonies across various time periods and civilizations. The Egyptians consumed mushrooms in the belief that they could promote longevity and immortality. The Maya regarded Teonanacatl mushrooms as the “flesh of the Gods,” while Indigenous people reported gaining clairvoyant abilities from consuming mushrooms.
In Medieval Europe, mushrooms were associated with witchcraft and the devil. Certain mushrooms were even demonized solely because of their appearance and became incorporated into legends and fairy tales.
Hunting for Mushrooms
I discovered that the UK has strict laws regarding mushroom picking, which posed quite a challenge! In some areas, you can pick mushrooms for personal use only, and not for commercial purposes. You can pick mushrooms on private land (with permission), but you often need a special foraging license. Crikey!
At first, I reached out to everyone I knew to see if anyone had connections to private land. I received an overwhelming amount of support and recommendations from people who were searching on my behalf. I truly appreciate everyone who participated in my mushroom quest—thank you so much!
After nearly three weeks of searching and visiting various farmers' markets to connect with local farmers, I finally found a wonderful independent licensed ethical forager. He collects wild mushrooms from private forests in the English countryside. Success! Over the next couple of weeks, he will be gathering some specific dye-friendly mushrooms for me.
Dyeing with Mushrooms
In my deep dive into dyeing with mushrooms, I came across Miriam Rice, who emerged in the 1970s as a pioneer in bringing fungi dyeing to public attention.
While natural pigment dyeing has been practiced for thousands of years, it has historically been specialised, with many dye recipes kept secret.
Unlike my flower dyeing, which employs a bundle dye technique that creates colour imprints, mushroom dyeing relies on a different method involving dye baths. This approach produces a more uniform colour but requires very careful attention to pH and temperature.
Although I've been dyeing with natural pigments for nearly three years, I understand that mastering this new technique will take time. I am excited to see what my colour experiments will reveal as I create a new section in my ‘Wool and Colour Database’ folder called ‘Mushroom Colours’.
Hugs,
Lea
PS: If you decide to go mushroom picking, please ensure that you follow UK laws and foraging guidelines specific to each forest area. Only take what you need, with a maximum limit of one-fifth of what’s available, to leave the rest for the animals and support the forest’s rejuvenation cycle. Never remove mushrooms or plants with their roots, as this can damage the underground mycelium network.
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