“I find with the world moving so fast we often forget to stop and properly look at things”, says Melbourne-based artist Camille Jeffreys. “When we pause, nature provides such an incredible amount of detail”. In her work Lucid, we see a dehydrated psilocybin mushroom, an occupant of the forest floor known for its sensory effects. Drained of its moisture, the mushroom has curled in on itself, its stem twisting rhythmically, the cap buckling inward, giving the artist a plethora of contours and ripples to rigorously observe. Using softly-applied jewel-tones, Jeffreys has carefully delineated the grooves and folds, picking out variations of colour a casual observer might have missed. The work sits within a long tradition of botanical illustration, where plant life is recorded to study and classify, often with a focus on their medicinal qualities. With Lucid this is particularly pertinent – truly seeing an object that itself carries the capacity for transformative viewing. “I encourage people to ponder the natural beauty whilst considering the huge potential of such a small thing”, she says, with current scientific enquiry finding the mushroom’s potential for managing a range of mental illnesses. Jeffreys’ work is a testimony to the power of her subject, a tiny but potent part of nature.
Above: Camille Jeffreys, Lucid, 2023. Coloured pencil, 42 x 60cm. NFS. Courtesy: the artist.