The Wonderful World of Lichen ; A Workshop With Maryjo Koch
On September 5, 2026, artist Maryjo Koch gave an online workshop on painting lichens. BAGSC members who had taken her earlier class on bird nests continued to build on her palette and technique with this demonstration.
Artist Maryjo Koch relates that the primary reason she’s so interested in painting lichen is “because I’m surrounded by this wonderful symbiosis of fungi and algae. I love the color so much that I used it as a color theme in my studio. I love the way it adorns our trees, rocks, outdoor furniture, everywhere.” She reports that deer near her Santa Cruz home thrive on it as a food source, and Anna’s hummingbirds use it to camouflage their tiny nests. Earlier this year, Maryjo delighted chapter members with a workshop on painting bird nests.
“Painting lichen lends itself to washes of white gouache over watercolor because lichen has a powdery look to it,” Maryjo continued. “What piqued my interest in painting lichen might have been seeing it used in the nests hummingbirds build. They collect little ‘petals’ of lichen and adhere it to the outside of their nests with spider silk. I love the dark underside of the lichen, which makes the top side show off its colors even more.”
Adrienne Klotz-Floyd lichen - gouache ©Adrienne Klotz-Floyd Adrienne's worktable setup for lichen workshop. ©Adrienne Klotz-Floyd Adrienne's color swatch © Adrienne Klotz-Floyd Adriene's palette ©Adrienne Klotz-Floyd
©Adrienne Klotz-Floyd ; Lichen in watercolor and white gouache on paper 2026 , and worktable setup
Adrienne Klotz-Floyd had kept her palette from the nest class and added the colors Maryjo listed for lichen, including Daniel Smith Perylene Green among others. “This was fun and expanded my understanding of working with white gouache and watercolors together. I was grateful for the recording, to return to it for building the layers.” In addition to her lichen painting, Adrienne provided pictures of her worktable setup with palettes and color swatches from Maryjo’s bird nest and lichen workshops both. “This was another great learning experience,“ she concluded.
Beatrice Bergemont appreciated Maryjo’s sharing of her technique and clear, detailed instructions. “Attending both the online bird’s nest and lichen workshops helped me better understand her process while also taking me out of my comfort zone, since I don’t usually work with gouache. For these subjects, I found that gouache really helps create body and build texture. Watching Maryjo provided great information about how she slowly applies layers of paint, ‘sculpting’ each element of the composition.”
Ruth Cox declared Maryjo a treasure and she learns so much from her. “Lichen seems much less intimidating now. I really appreciated the recording link, as I had some internet issues on our end. Here’s my rough painting in a perpetual journal next to last year’s painting from this week. I’m now ready to add shadows!”
Gayle Uyehara rewatched the demonstration because she had to miss the last few hours. “Boy, Maryjo makes watching paint dry informational and fun. I learned that ivory black is transparent and, after two workshops with Maryjo, I'm no longer afraid of using W&N Permanent White Gouache to get the effects I want.”
Veronica Raymond did not provide an image but recounted that she had a lichen drawing in the Small Works exhibition when BAGSC hosted ASBA’s 2008 Annual Conference at the Huntington Library. “At that conference, a member offered to purchase my lichen drawing, but I enjoyed looking at it so much that I kept it.”
©Donnett Vanek 2026 photo of lichen ©Donnett Vanek 2026 photo of lichen ©Donnett Vanek 2026 photo of lichen ©Donnett Vanek 2026 photo of lichen covered trees ©Donnett Vanek 2026 photo of information poster at Oregon State University Research Forests ©Donnett Vanek 2026 photo of ladybug on lichen
A Few Lichen Facts
Lichens were already widespread more than 410 million years ago but weren't recognized as separate organisms until the late 1600s. They had often been lumped in with other lifeforms, such as mosses, liverworts, and algae.
Not a parasite, lichens grow primarily on the bark of deciduous and coniferous trees, downed wood, and on rocks like granite or sandstone. They use those surfaces for support but get their nutrients from the air, rain and sunlight.
Lichens consist of a fungal hot (mycobiont) that provides structure and protection, combined with microscopic algae and/or cyanobacteria (photobiont) that produce food via photosynthesis.
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