Inspired by her nature collections and a lifelong love for the forest, Kelly began her artistic career with delicate and detailed drawings and paintings, studying directly from the woodsy objects she loved to discover during family trips to the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Kelly went on to further her art at the College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University, where she found fortuitous new inspiration. "It was during these years in Humboldt County that I discovered the wonderful and diverse world of fungi." The assorted array of mushrooms available to Kelly to gather and study encouraged her creativity to pursue this new subject. Ever inspired to keep expanding her art, Kelly took to hand felting, and now crafts woolen fungi, forest gnomes, and other woodland creatures. Kelly says she hopes to delve deeper into the felting process by creating her own wool dyes from mushrooms for future projects.

   AFT is showcasing Kelly McTimmonds' specimens during the September First Wednesday in Forest Grove. There will be wine, hor d'oeurves, and Kelly herself to enjoy at A Framer's Touch from 5-8.