Thứ Sáu, 19 tháng 2, 2010

Artist Conk

Nature doesn’t provide very many materials that you can draw on directly without a lot of preparation. Forget papyrus or canvas or deerskin—they take work to prepare.

There’s the tooth of the sperm whale (used in scrimshaw), white tree bark (birchbark), and cave art on rock walls.

One of the finest natural art materials is called Artist’s Conk or Artist’s Fungus (Ganoderma applanatum). It grows on the side of rotting deciduous trunks throughout North America, and can reach sizes of up to 20 inches wide. It has a gray, furrowed crust on the top surface, resembling a horse’s hoof, and a clear, smooth, milk-white under surface.

The white surface bruises under the touch of a sharp nail. Artists can etch extremely detailed drawings on the wide, arching shape. As the fungus dries, it becomes hard and lightweight, and the drawing naturally darkens and cures to a solid, permanent texture like wood.
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More about preparing and collecting.
Thomas Volk, Mushroom expert's site.
Information from the National Audubon Field Guide to Non-Flowering Plants.