Notice a mushroom that looks a little different than the rest? Hi-Fructose Magazine co-founder Attaboy has started to “plant” 100 hand-painted mushroom works across the U.S. This scavenger hunt heads to Los Angeles (and in particular, Glendale, Burbank, and Santa Monica) next, and you can follow his Instagram account to see what’s out there.
Attaboy offers this on the origins of the project: “I’ve always loved Easter egg hunts and have struggled with painting since I was a kid,” he says. “Painting was never therapeutic to me. Yet, for some reason, because this is a sort of game, this is different. For the first time I’m enjoying the process. I can’t stop painting these mushrooms, mainly to take a break from the constant barrage of news. I think it’s my own way of taking back control of my mind, remind myself that, while we must fight the recent tide of awful, it’s important to keep an eye out for the unexpected things, those little absurd buoys of wonder, we mustn’t lose them, they’re more important than ever.”
One mushroom was recently found at Pegasus Books in Berkeley. (In the “Gardening” section, naturally.) “The response has already been unexpectedly great,” the artist says, “seems like these little shroom mates are going to good homes.”