Mushroom Damask Wallpaper Design by Jamie Griffard, in Green Sage.
Specializing in watercolor, gouache and ink paintings, Jamie is inspired by her travels and captures the unique beauty of each subject with a traditionally distinctive and illustrative technique. She received her BFA in illustration at the Art Institute of Boston (AIB) in Cambridge, MA. Jamie worked as an artisan at various textile and art studios, a wall covering and textile specialist at various showrooms in the SF Design Center, and a craftsman in galleries and frame shops in New York, Boston and San Diego.
Jamie's studio is located in Northern California where she was born and raised. She lives with her partner and two dogs. While not in the studio she enjoys planning adventures, drinking espresso, swimming, ocean, nature, and hand carved small decorative wooden frames. Jamie and Renee (owner of Mojave Art), met in high school art class in the Bay Area, California in the late 90’s.
Q & A with Jamie Griffard
Mojave Art: Where are you currently based?
Jamie Griffard: Mountain View, California
Mojave Art: Can you tell me any highlights about your trip to Amsterdam this past year? What was it like painting these historical residences on the canal?
Jamie Griffard: My fiance and I stopped in Amsterdam on our way to Italy. We only had a few days there. Beautiful city! The architecture was so stunning. I got so much inspiration there that helped me create the paintings for the wall mural project. I found a cafe that was kind of hidden. It was an old small cobble stone church with an attic. I sat up there for hours and painted the buildings that I studied near the canals. It's definitely a cozy and historical city with very cool people who just let me hide away and paint with no bother. I enjoyed the details of the architecture and tried to capture that in my own sketch-like style. I work with Old Holland watercolor paints, so I bought a few tubes while I was there.
Mojave Art: Can you tell me about your fascination with mushrooms? When did that start?
Jamie Griffard: Before my trip, I was getting really tired of taking ssri's for my anxiety and depression. I had been taking them for years and came to the conclusion that I had more negative side effects than positive. Historically, when I tried mushrooms, I experienced a lift of my mood that lasted for weeks (called the afterglow). I decided to research the positive impact of psilocybin. I read about microdosing and how it could be a good alternative to antidepressants.
Mushrooms are legal in Amsterdam, they sell them as magic truffles in dispensaries called Smart Shops. I visited one and the shopkeeper educated me on the different protocols and strains, he was super enthusiastic about the topic and really helped me overcome any fear about trying them. You just have to start off really small at first until you find the right dosage. I ended up buying some of the "not so strong" variety.
Mojave Art: How has psilocybin (magic mushroom) been a healing agent in your journey healing from depression and treating it?
Jamie Griffard: It's been such a game changer. Microdosing has been much more effective on my mental health than any antidepressant. Psilocybin, for me, has no negative side effects. It is natural, and the outcome has been nothing but positive. The experience at first was trial and error in terms of getting the right dosage. Now I take a microdose with my morning vitamins in capsule form about every other day or so. You really have to find out when and how much your body needs. That is all part of the journey. It has been great for so many aspects of my life and overall mental health, including my focus and creativity. Definitely do your research, and/or reach out to a somatic therapist for guidance.
Mojave Art: What are your favorite books or websites to gain more knowledge about mushrooms?
Jamie Griffard: For microdosing, I get a lot of info from articles on places like reddit or 'The Psychedelic Podcast'. There is a lot of information out there in the mental health space. The Psychedelics Podcast is a great listen. For hunting and foraging, there's a cool app called iNaturalist to help identify your findings. Also the National Audubon Society Mushroom book is great!
Collaboration Inspiration: A recent 2022 trip to Amsterdam and Italy, research sketches from the National Audubon Society Mushroom book. Paintings by Amrita Sher-Gil informed our color story for the wallpaper collection.
Mojave Art: What influences led you to choose your path as an illustrator and painter ?
Jamie Griffard: My family is full of artists and craftsmen, so I think the path is in my blood. I have always gravitated to painting. Beginning with oils, dabbling with acrylics, now I am into watercolors and gouache. Undergraduate school kind of shaped me into the business of illustration but I have always been in the art industry working in galleries, frame shops, art studios and design showrooms. In the past I worked as an artisan and decorative painter , as well as a wallcovering and textile specialist at various showrooms in the SF Design Center, and a craftsman in galleries and frame shops in New York, Boston and San Diego.
Mojave Art: What artist/creative has influenced your creative process or aesthetic the most?
Jamie Griffard: There are a lot of artists I admire. In terms of the artistic process, I really love contemporary artists who work in pleinair. When I travel and get inspired, I will find a good spot to work and just go at it. The process almost makes me feel like I am performing on stage, forcing me to produce work more organically and quick handed. When in my studio, I almost have these rituals before I start painting. I clean first, get my setup going with a podcast or music, make my tea, set my intentions, and work in my comfort zone. Both processes have different outcomes.
Renee and I also looked at wallcoverings by Timorous Beasties from Glasgow for more inspiration, and developed our color story for the collection by looking at the paintings of Amrita Sher-gil. Sher-Gil was a Hungarian-Indian painter. She has been called "one of the greatest avante-garde women artists of the early 20th century" and a pioneer in modern Indian art.
Mojave Art: What creative discoveries did you have during your collaboration with Mojave Art, when creating the wallpaper and custom murals?
Jamie Griffard: Researching the different varieties of mushrooms to paint was so fascinating. I enjoyed taking time to study them and really capture their form, color, and texture. There’s so much detail and depth that goes into painting each one. I love it and it feels like it started this creative streak to do more and more.
Further reading: Please enjoy this recent New York Times article about mushrooms in the worlds of art & design.