Monoprints and Mushroom Microscopy

WORDS + ART: CECILIA CROWE
@CT.CROWE

Using trace and reductive monoprinting, these works were inspired by the structures of mushrooms found in my backyard in New Jersey, seen here in microscope images I took in the lab. I enjoy monoprinting because it offers the ease of printmaking without the pressure of making every piece in an edition look the same. It is also wonderfully freeing, as almost every “rule” in making monoprints can be broken, and you can still come out with a beautiful piece. 

I am inspired by mushrooms and their connections to other organisms around them, as well as their beautiful patterns and soft structure that can make such hard, sharp lines. I love how they sparkle under the microscope, just like freshly rolled-out ink.