Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of one of my favorite biophiliacs and artists -Jon Ching. Jon grew up steeped in natural beauty on the island of O’ahu, Hawai’i, which formed the foundation of his deep fascination with the natural and wild world.  A self-taught painter, Jon’s devoted art practice and detailed realism is inspired by the interconnectedness of nature.  While dedicated to the minute idiosyncrasies of flora and fauna, Jon’s work is a surreal imagining of what limitless wonders and combinations nature can produce.  New creatures and symbioses emerge in his meticulously rendered oil paintings, exemplifying the endless potential of life on Earth.  His work is often driven by his personal desire to find balance between the human and natural worlds, exploring themes of symbiosis and searching for connections, physical and metaphorical, across nature’s kingdoms. Highlighting man-made threats to the natural world are a regular theme in his work to raise awareness of and evoke compassion for the kingdoms of life. Jon’s ultimate hope is to inspire love and admiration for the universally unique beauty and intrigue of our world.   TOPICS COVERED:   Childhood in Hawaii as Inspiration   Unlocking Biological Imagination   Powers of Observation   Impact of Becoming a Father   Slowing Down   Communicating Ecological Messages Through Artwork   Fungi Finding Their Way onto the Canvas   Navigating the Professional Art World   Gallery Shows   Materials, Process and Timeline of Creating Paintings    From Paintings to Murals   Future Projects   WTF NFTs   Finding Equilibrium with Natural Systems   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Jon Ching Website: https://jonchingart.com/   Jon Ching IG: https://www.instagram.com/jonchingart/   Jon Ching FB: https://www.facebook.com/JonChingArt   Jon Ching @ Beinart Gallery: https://beinart.org/collections/jon-ching   Hericium erinaceus (AKA Lions Mane): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hericium_erinaceus