Marie is widely acclaimed for her work on what must be the ultimate mushroom artist's canvas: the "Artist's Conk" mushroom (Ganoderma applanatum). This fungus—a woody, shelf-like perennial mushroom—has a moist white coating on the undersurface during summer. Artists have long used tools to etch designs into that surface.
 
Marie's specialized approach to "Ganoderma Art," however, is a bit more sophisticated. After each specimen has been carefully dried, Marie applies a woodburner (this is called pyrography) and, on some pieces, pastel pencils. Each of Marie's Ganoderma Artworks is truly unique; many of her masterpieces are in the collections of the numerous professional mycologists who are fans of her work.
 
Marie has taught workshops on pyrography and scratchboard techniques for the Northeast Mycological Foray in New Hampshire, the Puget Sound Mycological Society in Seattle, Washington, and the Central New York Mycological Society in Syracuse, New York. Please contact her at Heerkens@aol.com to schedule a workshop.

 
 
 
 

about the artist •  the field guide to mushrooms •  pyrography •  paintings & drawings •  photography •  t-shirt designs •  scratchboard artwork •  links

All digitized artwork on this website Copyright © 2008 by Marie F. Heerkens. All Rights Reserved.
Last updated 03 August 2008