CLIENT: Ellen Hutchins Festival Organisers
I was commissioned to paint some of the lichens found on Snave Beach, Bantry as the cover of a Micro-Nature Trail Guide to Lichens. The lichens were collected by lichenologists Howard Fox (National Botanic Gardens) and Maria Cullen in 2018. The lichens selected for painting were Usnea subfloridana and Parmotrema perlatum which were both growing on rusty willow, Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia. The painting was painted on calfskin vellum.
The Micro-Nature Trail Guide can be viewed HERE
In addition to the Guide, a short film ‘Learning to Love Lichens’ was made. I can be seen painting lichens in the film
More information about the project can be found here: https://www.ellenhutchins.com/lichens/
“Ellen Hutchins studied lichens around Bantry Bay in the early 1800s, recording close to 200 different species. During her exploration of the local shores, woods, fields and mountains, she discovered several lichens new to science. At least three of these are named after her: Lecaniahutchinsiae, Pertusaria hutchinsiae and Enterographa hutchinsiae. Lichens are still considered one of the more difficult branches of botany but we hope to persuade you that they are worth more than a passing glance.
Lichens are a unique life form with their fascinating symbiotic relationships between fungi, algae, or cyanobacteria, and yeast. They have an intrinsic beauty, with a wonderful variety of forms and colours.
They are numerous and valuable in terms of their contribution to biodiversity. They are one of the first colonisers of bare surfaces, creating the conditions for other life to follow.”
