Mushrooms (and enlightenment) are
my passion.

‘Forest of Enlightenment,” explores the life force of Gaia through the eyes of fungi and the mycelial network permeating the world. My inspiration began while foraging in Colorado and Washington, and has expanded to the deserts of California after rains, Switzerland, and France. Foraging plans for 2025 include India and Bhutan.

My fascination with the philosophical and biological interconnectedness of the human world with nature is a driving force behind this work. My love of wandering through forests – especially off-trail exploration – involves deep looking, meditating, and capturing special moments when the subject and light interact and call me to them.

In recent years, my attention shifted to the relationship between nature and its allies – primarily mushrooms – through photography, encaustic, mixed media, and oil. The mycelial network runs below trees in forests and gives birth to the world by spawning life in the soil and restoring balance to the planet. It has been said that human DNA is more closely related to mushrooms than to plants. I am deeply connected to mushrooms and their ability to heal and co-create with humans. My personal experience with medicinal, culinary, and spiritual (psychoactive) mushrooms has been a lifelong journey.

My life as an artist has taken a few twists and turns. Throughout my life, I focused primarily on portraits. I won the National Scholastic Art Award in 1978 (see below “Phyllis”). In 2008-2019 I was commissioned to do portraits of various international individuals including Jan Soderberg, Pearl Soderberg, Irene Zettergren, Barbara Hines, and others. Group shows include an international traveling show sponsored by the UN, several shows at the Aspen Art Museum, and a solo show at the Metaphor Gallery in Aspen.

Education

Patricia Bukur attended the MA/PhD program in Depth Psychology with a Jungian Emphasis at Pacifica Graduate School. She is a Jungian-based coach (see forestune.com), microdose consultant, and author. Her art can be found in private collections in the US and Europe. She is currently writing a book on the spiritual benefits of psychedelic mushrooms. She is a contributing author and photographer in the 2024 publication of “Foraging Mushrooms in the Rocky Mountains” (Falcon Press), “Between the Space” Poetry and Art (out of publication), and “Evolution of Psyche: Psychedelics and Spiritual Awakening” (publication date 2025).

Patricia serves as a board member of the Colorado Mycological Society and the Aspen Indigenous Foundation. She leads summer mushroom forays in Colorado. She can be reached by clicking here.