Oversized Funghi
The Set Up
Yayoi’s mushrooms feel almost psychedelic to me. It must be their bold colour and playful dots and forms that hover somewhere between real life and an imagined world! I always think of the red and black beauty at Pt Leo, which feels both whimsical and commanding at once.
For your Smudge mushroom garden, cardboard is the star. Cut out caps and stems, or let artists design their own. There are over 10,000 known mushroom species in the world, which makes it easy to believe there is no “right” shape. Add a base so each one stands tall and soon a whole forest begins to appear.
The Making
Now for the fun part. Mushrooms are the perfect excuse to go bold with colour. Pick the loudest combinations you can think of! Orange beside blue, pink and black battling it out, red covered in snowy white spots. Dip the end of a pencil, a bottle top, even your finger, and start dotting. Big or small, scattered or bunched, each dot shifts the personality of the mushroom. Watch how quickly the plain cardboard turns into something wild and wonderful.
Variations
One mushroom feels playful but a cluster becomes hypnotic! If you and other artists gather enough together then suddenly the whole corner feels alive.
Materials
Sturdy cardboard sheets
Scissors or craft knives (adult use for the thicker pieces)
Stands or bases (wooden blocks, recycled stands, or cardboard slots)
Poster or tempera paints (mix with white for vibrancy)
Paintbrushes in different sizes
Foam circle brushes, bottle lids, or pencil ends for dots
Palettes, jars, or trays for mixing contrasting colours