Mushroom Magic – The Annual Gold Rush in RussiaBy Alexander Viazmensky, St. Petersburg, Russia
In Russia, mushroom hunting is a favorite pastime (even more so than fishing) for many people—men and women, old and young, are crowding the forests for this activity. Throngs of people with mushroom baskets fill the morning trains out from the city, and the most devoted ones go to the woods in the evening and spend the night at a campfire. The Russians are enthusiasts about mushrooms; many depend on their collections as important sources of food as well as income. But the intense picking is causing a serious decrease in the mushroom population, and remote forests are being disturbed by intense motor vehicle usage. Mushroom Magic will be an entertaining tour with Alexander Viazmensky from St. Petersburg, Russia.
Alexander (Sasha) Viazmensky was born in Leningrad and originally trained as an electrical engineer. He soon changed careers and after working as a freelance artist he joined the Art Academy in St. Petersburg where he graduated in 1991. He currently devotes all of his time to creating his art. His fungi watercolors are energetic surrounded by all the debris from the forest: pine needles, dead leaves, scraps of moss, twigs and young toadstools scattered over the paper. His works are included in numerous international collections such as Millesgarden Museum in Stockholm, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Lindley Library in London, and Dr. Shirley Sherwood Collection, Kew Gardens, UK.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Denver Botanic Gardens – Morrison Center
Denver Botanic Gardens – Morrison Center
6:30 – 8 p.m