Anthracophyllum archeri – ‘Orange Fan’

Orange fan fungi are usually found on dead wood, growing in groups on branches in lateral directions. As the common name suggests, their shape is fan-like, with the colours ranging from orange to red.

My aim with the artwork was to make something really colourful, magical feeling and diverse – so researched a few flora and fauna species that might be found in similar areas to this fungi. I’ve included some plants such as cut-leaved daisies and native violets, and the Bright-Eyed Brown Butterfly.

I thought that a pale subdued purple colour for the background would work nicely against the oranges in our fungi, and also put in some abstracted ribbons of royal blue to suggest a night sky – like a dusky twilight kind of feel.

Here are some links if you’d like to read/see a bit more about this species: