I was fortunate enough to meet Stu and Rochelle Pickell through my friend Jess Starwood when together with Lorelle Sherman we did a weekend long workshop at my studio in Trout Lake in 2021. Stu is an incredible macro photographer and myco/myxo citizen scientist living in Los Angeles as well as a board member of the Los Angeles Mycological Society. He reached out with an invitation for me to teach a few workshops and give a public presentation at their monthly meeting during mushroom season in Southern California.

A very generous LAMS member, Janneke Hesseling, offered her home studio where I did a full day of workshops with over 30 participants. The morning was focused on dye colorants from mushrooms and the afternoon was dedicated to mushroom pigments and paints. It was an incredibly talented, multi generational group. We had mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters, and groups of friends who all came to join and make art with colors from mushrooms.

The workshops were a frenzy of activity and I was grateful to my friend Ingrid Wilcox for helping out and assisting as well as Rochelle for bringing me the delicious lunch that gave me the fuel to teach back to back workshops. LAMS is an incredibly vibrant group and I look forward to returning someday!