To see my most recent art, visit my social media pages: Instagram or Facebook.
I use wild mushrooms as my paint, and forest as my art studio.
As a former diving instructor I used to escape Finland’s chilly winters to the vibrant coral reefs. I fell passionately in love with the vibrant colors and strange forms of the coral reefs. Compared to the reefs, Finnish forests felt dark and gloomy.
In September 2017 I started spending more time in the nearby forest, and suddenly found myself in a colourful dreamworld.
The strange forms and colors of the moss, rotting tree trunks, critters and mushrooms reminded me of coral reefs. I started learning their names, and the forest began to feel like home. I got excited about all those wonderfully colorful, toxic mushrooms I previously ignored.
The more time I spent in the forest, the more beauty and colours I saw around me. Before long, mushrooms became my paint, and the forest my art studio.
A very unforgiving studio, as a matter of fact. I often spend five or six hours looking for mushrooms for just one creation.
If I realize one day later that I would like to rearrange something in my creation, it’s already too late. The gills of the mushrooms have withered and lost those vibrant colors. Mister and Madame Snails have munched holes into the caps, and trees have covered my creations with falling leaves.
I can’t plan any of my mushroom art in advance, either, because I never know what kind of mushrooms I end up finding. I have to take what the nature decides to give me that day, and work with that.
So it was a surprise for me, when I looked back and realized that so many of my dreamy creations were inspired by the underwater world. I guess it’s just natural – we dream about what we love.
What do you dream about?
See my recent works in Instagram or Facebook – and if you like them, please support my art by following those sites!
For collaborations, get in touch!
If you are interested in the publication or use of an image, please ask first! Or check the guidelines on how to use my art.
Saara Alhopuro 