Series Title: Fungal Alchemy
Painting Name: Spores of the Past
Year: 2020
Medium: Mixed media with living plants, organic materials, 24k gold leaf, Carton Piedra on textured substrate; black frame with gold accents
 
Art is Copyright under Blair Ricker
 
This piece is a raw expression of healing—a visual dialogue between what’s been broken and what’s beginning to grow.
 
Built on the bones of an old farmhouse window, complete with torn metal screen and weathered frame, it speaks to history, memory, and the quiet strength in imperfection. The deep blues and fractured gold running through the abstract background reflect moments of darkness and the light that always finds its way through.
 
Yes, I used mushroom burrs—because sometimes healing is messy, unexpected, and strangely beautiful. And yes, that’s real 24-karat gold layered in, honouring the sacredness of transformation.
 
This work emerged as I was healing through PTSD, blending elements of decay, damage, and renewal into something meaningful and alive.
 
Not just art. A mirror of survival.
A tribute to the beauty in what’s been through it all—and still stands.