Who Are You?, 2024, watercolour.
‘Who are you?’ is a ‘field guide’ or ‘artist book’ that features 25 watercolor drawings of fungi found in my local forest during October. Each drawing includes a written description that addresses each subject, rather than the reader. Two hallmarks of a field guide are that it shares scientific information and engages the audience. I find fungi particularly challenging to identify because there are millions of species, many of which annoyingly share numerous similarities and can even appear nearly identical. In the past, I have become wrapped up in identifying the species instead of focusing on the individual organism. In ‘Who Are You?’ I decided to concentrate on the physical attributes of the organisms I was drawing rather than worry about their Linnaean names. Although I did not include any names, I tried to feature common fungi observed in and around Vancouver, providing recognizable imagery.