Madge Evers
Carry a Torch, mushroom spores on paper, 28 x 20 inches
Artist Statement
I'm interested in the transformative and magical ways of decomposition and regeneration. My work originates in the soil with foraged materials. I use various media, including the cyanotype process and paint, but primarily mushroom spores, the powdery substance that resides in the gills and pores of mushrooms. When released in nature, mushroom spores land on nearby soil, leaves, or rocks. In my process, these tiny reproductive particles fly or float, then alight - my medium for works on paper. Thus, the spore print, a mushroom identification tool, is adopted in form and medium. Spore images contain organic abstractions and patterns that conjure a natural world both strange and deeply familiar.