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It has been far too long since my last post. Thankfully, it hasn’t been quite as long since I finished my last painting. I have had the continued honor to be a part of the annual Oxford Gallery invitational show. This year’s theme was “Doppelgangers”.

I used one of my favorite genres – still life to stage my piece. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary kitchen counter top while someone was preparing dinner; a green pepper, a few red onions, shallots and garlic. There is also a mushroom that sits prominently in the front. It looks harmless enough, even a bit appetizing. But herein lies the doppelganger. What appears to be a regular straw mushroom is actually amanita phylloides – a death cap. It is one of the most poisonous mushrooms, and is often mistaken for common edible fungi.

The greatest irony of this painting is that my husband recommended the subject, and he absolutely hates mushrooms.