Jacinta Leitch wants locals to follow her on an adventure Deep in the Forest in her upcoming exhibition unveiling the beauty and colour of tiny mushrooms.
The Newtown artist has spent “many a day” during the pandemic hunting and photographing 300 species, some the size of a pinhead, from the Otways to the You Yangs.
“They amaze me – they’re so beautiful when you start looking at them,” she said.
“The varieties and shapes, their form and colour.”
Where many might see only a small blue stain on a log, Jacinta zooms in to reveal beautiful fungi hiding in plain sight.
“I got some canvasses and just decided to amuse myself by painting 100 of them,” she said.
With a council COVID-19 arts, culture and heritage recovery grant, she will hold a month-long exhibition, Deep in the Forest, at Shearers Arms Gallery, Newtown, beginning March 2.
“I’m hoping to inspire people to go for a walk and lose themselves in the forest.”
For details search ‘Jacinta Leitch’ on Facebook.
Luke Voogt
