Let me tell you about her: this mushroom lady was not planned.
She started with a frame.

I found this long, narrow frame that inspired me. I HAD to paint something especially FOR HER.
And the timing was perfect, as I was continually starring at that gap on the wall at Black Leaf Tattoo. You know the kind of gap that silently judges you every time you look at it.

The shape was unusual. Tall. Almost like a medieval banner. Or one of those Art Nouveau panels. Exactly my inspiration of the past month!

So I thought. What kind of woman belongs in that space?

When I paint these mushroom ladies, I am always thinking about bodies.

Real bodies.
Soft bellies. Thick thighs. Stretch marks. Breasts that exist in many forms.
Bodies that have lived. Bodies that have carried children. Bodies that have survived systems that were not built for them.

I want them to feel like old forest goddesses.
Not fragile.
Not decorative.

Feminine and dangerous.

There is something very satisfying about painting a pin up figure that is not for the male gaze. She is not waiting. She is not posing for approval. She is simply existing in her own magic.

The watercolour process was unplanned, I went with the flow, like I like to do the most. I let the imperfections stay. It feels alive.

She now lives on the wall in the tattoo studio. Probably judging patriarchy quietly.

And if you want to see the full process from blank paper to finished, the video is available here on Patreon. Come sit with me while she grows.

Tell me what you see in her?

🍄✨