Art

Paintings, illustrations, curiollages &c.
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Shroomdweller Acrylic on collaged paper on canvas, 12"x6"

Shroomdweller-LeahPalmerPreiss

I’ve been working on this relatively small painting in between jobs for over a month now! I’ll probably tweak it a bit more yet, but I couldn’t wait to share it now that it’s finally coming close to what I envisioned. This mushroom, like its climber, is entirely imaginary, but it was inspired by various real species. If you are a fan of fungi in its many fanciful forms, be sure to check out this fascinating blog: When we die, we become one with the earth. Beautiful photos of some amazing shrooms!

The background engraving was scanned from The Practical Standard Dictionary, 1943; the borders were from an old map.

The not-so-secret message in the annulus refers to a series of books by Eleanor Cameron that I loved as a child. Working on this really made me want to reread those books!

p.s. This one’s dedicated to my friend Heather, an avid mushroom-hunter, & my father, a soon-to-be truffle farmer!

Edit: Prints of this painting (along with the original) are now available in my Etsy shop!

 

Cartozia Tales Sneak Peek Issue 1 Cover Detail ~ Isaac Cates AD

Cartozia-LeahPalmerPreiss

I’m excited to be a part of this inventive new comic!  Conceived by Isaac Cates, it is co-created by a team of writers and artists who take turns telling fantastic stories about various sectors of an imaginary world, Cartozia. It’s really a fascinating system– read more about it here.

The first issue should be coming out in August, & can be pre-ordered now.

Marginaliens Acrylic on collaged text on canvas, 12"x6"

Marginaliens

It’s been far too long since I posted an actual painting! The Illustrator experiments have been good training, but my hand was itching to hold a brush. So here’s the result:

I imagined a medieval monk patiently illuminating a manuscript, when suddenly an alien spaceship lands in the monastery courtyard. Surely his new acquaintances would make their way into the margins.