Story behind the art of Christiane Fashek

Botanical Art Worldwide 2025-A More Abundant Future:

Diversity in Garden, Farm, and Field

American Society of Botanical Artists at the Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, MO

Velvet and Jelly

Auricularia sp., Orthotrichum diaphanum, Sambucus sp.

Velvety jelly ears cascaded down decaying bark at the base of an elder tree along my hiking path. Some brackets were nestled in white-tipped bristle moss; others protruded from smooth cambium. How would I depict this in colored pencil? I took measurements, color notes, and photos, poked the jiggly bits, and filed it all under “someday” projects. This bracket fungus jumped to mind for the Botanical Art Worldwide 2025 theme.

Jelly ears are recognizable for their rubbery flesh, covered in silver cilia. They appear velvety on the exterior and shiny and translucent, yet wrinkled, on the underside. Their palette ranges from warm reddish browns to cool purples and they are often eponymously ear-shaped. I used a dark indigo grisaille to build form, reserving paper white in some areas, and layered pinks, blues, and purples to pull the brackets into the foreground. The tear-drop composition allows the moss and bark to fade in all directions. The wisps of moss trailing onto the white background are not scanner-friendly.

Jelly ears have been foraged for culinary and medicinal purposes for centuries. They are recognizable, mild-tasting, and palatable when cooked. Dried and rehydrated, they are often used in Asian cuisine. In western culture, as recently as the mid-nineteenth century, this gelatinous fungus was believed to cure ailments of similarly gelatinous body parts. The fungus was soaked in milk and the liquid gargled for throat infections called “quinsies,” now known to be tonsillitis-related. Jelly ears have anticoagulant properties and should not be consumed by people on blood thinners. Recent studies have revealed the species’ anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and blood-sugar-balancing properties, which may aid in lowering cholesterol and controlling diabetes.

I titled this piece “Velvet and Jelly,” to call out the species’ defining textures.

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Read more about this artist's work: 27th Annual