Mushrooms and Art: Abra’s Wild World

If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Abra McMullen, you know she is oozing with creative energy. Her larger than life personality shines when she’s sharing a story and her laughter can fill the room. Her artistic spirit is evident in everything she does: from the expressive clothing she wears and the striking tattoos that adorn her skin to the bold, stylized makeup she crafts. Her humor is raw, shocking to some, and she’s unapologetically honest.

Abra is a reflection and a testament to her upbringing. With roots in the both the Native (Siletz and Nez Perce) and Czech communities, Abra grew up between here and Oregon, frequently traveling with her family. Her childhood was filled with cultural experiences- attending Pow Wows, dancing in jingle dresses, and drumming with a group called the Coyote Singers. She says it was all really fun and laughs when she says, “I guess I’m equal parts Native and Gypsy.”

*Abra McMullen, forager, artist, and bartender*

When she isn’t bartending at The Mermaid Deli and Pub or spending time with her 15-year-old son, Abra is usually foraging for wild foods, rock-hounding, or searching for unusual objects to transform into art. If you went to the recent Mushroom Festival in Grayland, you may have seen her table full of specimens and creative pieces. Recently, she launched Lichen Foraging, a venture offering foraging tours along the South Beach. The Drift caught up with Abra to discuss her passions for mushrooms and art.

How did you get into foraging in the first place?

I've been foraging around here my pretty much my whole life. My mom was from Oregon so we would move back and forth. When I was a kid we were pretty poor- we picked mushrooms, salal, chittum bark, cedar boughs and everything we could for money. I’d buy my own school clothes from the money I made foraging. I started picking mushrooms with my grandpa when I was like five years old. He lived down in Coos Bay, Oregon. We'd go to the sand dunes and pick pine mushrooms. That was our thing- chanterelles, hedgehogs, and matsutakes. And my grandpa knew where all the great spots were. We never missed a giant patch. It was insane. When I was a kid I wasn’t super into it because it was basically a job, but after my grandpa passed away and I got older I started foraging more. It became more of a hobby and a great memory of my grandpa.

How did all that foraging evolve into creating art?

I've always had an artistic side. I’ve made jewelry, paintings, all different kinds of stuff. But I've always had a love for mushrooms, so I just started finding things in the woods that I thought were cool or weird or neat and incorporated it into art.

How would you describe your art pieces?

It's like cottage core forager art. I love mushrooms so I started making a lot of mushroom things. But I also use bones and dead bugs and different kinds of taxidermy-ish pieces. I arrange them in terrariums- it could be butterflies and crystals, or mushrooms and fiddle ferns. And of course moss, really whatever speaks to me when I’m out in nature. It could be a simple stick or pine cone with a bunch of weird mushrooms growing off it, or a bird skull and feathers. I put the pieces in my basket while foraging and either the idea comes to me then or it comes later when I’m looking at my collection.

*Abra’s art features found objects like moss, mushrooms, and butterflies*

Do you make any custom pieces?

Yeah, I've made a few things. If someone wants to bring me bones or found things I can create a piece they can display forever.

Where can people see or find your art?

So Grayland Community Hall is going to be doing Saturday vendor markets and I plan to be there every month. You can also check out my Instagram. I recently did the Mushroom Show in Grayland and was received really well. It was the fist one they have had and I really hope it happens again. There was art and vendors but I think people definitely want an educational side. I had a specimen table and handouts on edible and toxic mushrooms and that was a huge hit.

Why do you think people are so fascinated with mushrooms?

I think since Covid really- like everybody was so isolated and trying to find things to do- and a bunch of people just went into the woods foraging. Maybe for fun or maybe thinking what would we do if we have to live off the land. And it just kind of grew more popular and suddenly you’re seeing mushrooms in print, on clothing and accessories, and yeah people are just in love with mushrooms these days!

It’s kind of funny to me because when I was younger, everybody was always like, ‘Abra, you're a dork. You're always in the woods.’ And now I’ve started doing tours and people are pumped to learn about all the neat things growing right here in our woods.

What can you tell me about your foraging tours?

So within 10 miles of Westport you can find pretty much everything. If people are interested in foraging it’s important to learn about identifying specimens and also respecting the earth. There are so many mushrooms that are look-alikes, and some can be toxic, so you really have to know what you’re doing. A lot of people don't understand the mushroom mycelium that grows under the ground- once you disturb a mushroom, it sends off signals via the mycelium to the other mushrooms, kind of like an alert system. Some mushrooms, like boletes and lobsters, you can pull up and its fine, they grow back. But chanterelles are one you only cut so they come up in the same place again the next year. I like teaching people to preserve, and not take more than what you should. I have spots that I've been going to for 16-17 years and the patches are still there.

I don't take people to my personal spots, but we mostly go to the state parks. We spend about three hours foraging. It’s easy to find chanterelles, boletes, hedgehogs, honey mushrooms and mastutakes. The mastutakes are very plentiful. A lot of Asian markets sell this dense, tasty, mushroom. They are actually pretty pricey! They have an earthy kind of cinnamon and clove smell to them. They are personally not my preferred mushroom to eat though. I like boletes and lobster mushrooms a lot. I like Chicken of the Woods, Lion’s mane, and cauliflower mushrooms are amazing- you can use them as egg noodles for beef stroganoff or whatever kind of noodle dish.

Were the mushrooms you had on display at the Mushroom Festival in Grayland all from around here?

Yes! I had a specimen table with like 25 different kinds of mushrooms and I got those all in Westport. I didn't even have to go deep into the woods. Just a little woodsy spot on some friend's property. There were chanterelles, lobsters, corals, amanitas- just so many different kinds. It was awesome.

What's the protocol when you're out foraging and you run into someone else that you're pretty sure is doing the same thing?

We mostly give each other space. We might nod or say hello, but we go our separate ways. Even if I come onto someone that is right on top of a patch, I walk away and find another spot.

*Abra’s basket of foraged chanterelle mushrooms*

What are some of the essentials that you should bring with you when you're foraging?

It's a good idea to bring items similar to the 10 essentials in hiking. Definitely bring a whistle or something similar like an airhorn. Make sure your phone's fully charged and your GPS is on. Always bring a compass. Bring a basket and a knife. If you're gonna be way up in the woods, it's good to have bear spray. Always dress for the weather and that includes boots for walking on muddy trails.

What are some of the things you love to find when foraging?

There's certain kinds of mosses that I’m really drawn to and of course Ilichen. I also get excited when I find rare mushrooms like the bleeding tongue, cauliflower mushrooms, or lion’s mane.

I feel like I can’t do an interview about mushrooms without asking about the ones that contain psilocybin and people utilize for psychedelic journeys. Does that come up on a tour?

Well, there are a lot of people looking for the trippy mushrooms around here, but honestly you have to be really careful because there is a look-alike mushroom called galerina that can grow in the same patch and it is toxic. If I run across a patch on a tour, I may point them out but I’m not taking anyone on trippy mushroom tours!