MAGIC MUSHROOM

A while ago, I found a small piece of mushroom.  Dry and 6cm high.  I picked it up and kept it.

Few months later, I did this tonal drawing of it  :

Again, months later, at printing, I needed a drawing to use for a linocut project. I decided to use my drawing of the piece of mushroom.

I cut a lino plate like this :

I enjoy the fluidity of the lines you can achieve in this way. You can use needles of different thickness and shapes to get a variety of lines.  

I have been printing this plate with vibrant colours.

Yellow on purple

purple on yellow

Red on yellow on black. Printed 3 times.

Black and orange printed on another print.

You never know when a small piece of mushroom might come in handy .

a multimedia artist : bio

Hello, my name is Anne Musso.

 I established my ceramic studio at Great Western Studios in 1994.

After 25 years practice as a potter, I came to painting , printing and drawing with a sense of freedom and excitement.

It was like rediscovering a friend one hasn't seen for many years. As a teenager, I had a workshop in an attic and I used to paint using the palette knife, influenced by the painter Nicholas de Staehl. 

In my ceramic workshop, at Great Western Studios,  I borrowed  glazes and techniques from the great ceramic artist Lucie Rie and developed my own style. Following the advice she gave me,I adopted once-firing. This method enables the potter to PAINT the glaze onto the raw pot instead of dipping and pouring,  and layer the glazes one after the other, adding oxides and working on textures. 

This method has stayed with me in my painting and printmaking. I like to explore colour and texture, being strongly attracted to form in nature. I am also very influenced by Gerhard Richter's work and his use of scraping the paint.

Being ever so curious, I also ventured into jewellery. However,  although techniques might differ, I find that the practice is all the same.

I have had 7 solo shows as a potter and 5 mixed shows as a painter and printmaker.

Two squared off stoneware vases exhibited at the Ice House Gallery. 

For more examples of my work, visit Anne Musso website