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# Artist Maria Katkova and ink made from the inky cap mushroom
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/natknulsia-na-rasskaz-khudozhnitsy-marii-katkovoi-chto-v-svoe-vremia-ona-sozdala-neskolko-rabot-gribnymi-chernilami/
- Published: 2025-04-10T12:08:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T18:50:18.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Art, Observations, Nature, Humour

I came across an account by the artist Maria Katkova of how she once made several works using mushroom ink. What is that, you ask? The artist explains the recipe: if you pick an ink cap (a dung-loving one, to be precise), place it on a saucer and watch, you may witness the phenomenon of autolysis, the self-digestion of the fungus's body into a black liquid. This liquid is sometimes used as ink, and under magnification the traces it leaves on paper reveal a unique pattern of spores. In short, do bear it in mind, should you ever find yourself in some uninhabited spot without a ballpoint pen