Before dehydrating dye mushrooms that I often gather near my home, I like to make spore prints on watercolor paper. There is something beautiful about preserving this ephemeral moment of fungi, when the spores are at their prime to create a facsimile impression of itself. The imprint is delicate, and fixing it to the surface of the paper gives it a permanence otherwise not known to the fruiting body of the mushroom. This particular spore print is from a group of Gymnopilus ventricosus (western jumbo gym) found right outside my home. The spore print paper is sandwiched below a Duralar panel (Acrylic) that contain the names of many—but not all—dye mushrooms. The common names of dye mushrooms found in California are underlined.
Learn more about the Mushrooms & Color exhibit at the Mendocino Art Center, here: https://www.mushroomsforcolor.com/exhibition-mushrooms-color/