Sword Fern Studios

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Portland, OR
Sword Fern Studios

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🎨 Artist Michelle F Mitchell
Helping you bring the magic of the forest into your space. Creating nature inspired art featuring fungi, flora, & fauna.

Original paintings, fine art prints, stickers, & more!
🛒 https://swordfernstudios.company.site *Commissions are currently closed. Please email [email protected] to inquire or get on the waitlist. Located in Portland, Oregon.

10/16/2026

Two long toed salamanders meet among the lichens, wood sorrel, bleeding tooth, mycena mushrooms, and many mosses.

Ready for rainy walks in the woods, misty clouds, a gentle rain, and a look into someone else’s tiny world 🥹🌱✨

'Courtship'

10/01/2026

A spooky painting in honor of spooky season!

In nature the most eye-catching plants are sometimes toxic (ex. If it's red it's poisonous.)
Perhaps we could shift the focus away from seeing "the unknown" of the natural world through a lens of negativity? Once you learn more about these gorgeous species, you’ll see that everything has its place in the circle of life, even death itself.

A small shift in perception opens up the possibility to imagine why and how these toxic species can actually be useful in the web of life. These beautiful and sometimes scary beings are here because they can provide nourishment and medicine once we learn how to work with them.

Poisons and Parasites
Acrylic on birch
8×10

09/22/2026

Happy fall equinox! Autumn is an exciting time of year for change, of beautiful colors, the sound of rainfall hitting the leaves, the smell of fresh air on a cool morning. Slow down and appreciate dew drops in the grass, big garden harvests, long shadows, shorter days, and misty mountaintops. As summer flowers begin to fade, do not get sad for what is lost. The trees and shrubs are shedding their old skin, conserving strength to bloom again in spring. Be like a tree.

Let’s face it, as an artist and as a human, it’s kiiind of an exciting time to take inspiration from the land. 🤷🏼‍♀️

09/19/2026

Looking back at a favorite piece “Symbiosis”

Acrylic on birch panel by

A painting inspired by the incredible diversity of life in the abundant montane cascade meadows and prairies. The sheer amount of species cohabitating is something to marvel at. As you move through the seasons, each meadow changes, and each step of the metamorphosis is beautiful in its own right.

These seasonal shifts allow such a rich web of life. It almost makes change look easy!

This one was difficult in the beginning, but only because I had to choose which species to include (I have sooo many that I love.) I narrowed it down to some of my favorite observations from two different meadows in the Mt. Hood National Forest. Yes, I geek out like this for every painting. 😄

09/10/2026

In a world of rushing, pushing ourselves, and numbing, I find the forest to be incredibly refreshing. Being out there helps me regulate my nervous system like nothing else!

Growing up I had always loved hiking, camping, and being outside. Mushroom foraging took it all to the next level! It’s all the sensory input I could want. I have found new ways of seeing, understanding, and listening to the world around me outside of my rather narrow human lens. The forest is a great source of inspiration in my art and overall creativity. I was actually going to film an art reel today in the woods. But it was hot, then I got stung by a bee, then I turned all red and got more overheated, got hives and a rash. I think I still want to share that with you, but maybe on a different day. 🤣 i’m doing much better after a cool shower, btw!

Golden Hour Chanterelle, a painting of mine that gives me all those good autumn feelings.

Acrylic on birch

08/11/2026

Reminiscing on PNW coastal magic. 🍄✨

Amanita Muscaria mushroom pastel painting.

05/19/2026

Always dreaming of those tiny early wildflowers in the gorge. 🥹

Vernal pools created by shallow soil deposits over hard basalt rock creates suitable habitat during the rainy season. That moisture carries over for several months allowing for an impressive display of different wildflowers in an otherwise pretty dry area. Depending on the year, some flowers get started as early as January!

From wiki:
Crocidium multicaule is a species of plants in the daisy family known by the common name spring gold. This plant is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it can be found in varied habitats from grassland to woodland. It is a small annual, typically not exceeding 30 centimeters in height. It grows from a small patch of somewhat fleshy leaves at the ground and erects several very tall, very thin gangly

Lomatium piperi is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Indian biscuitroot (and called mámɨn in the local Sahaptin language). It is native to the Northwestern United States and northern California, where it grows in sagebrush and plateau habitat, and the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains.

05/17/2026

Long time no post! I’ve been going through a round of Lyme treatment for a gnarly tick bite I got in the gorge. My brain and hands have generally not been cooperating for detailed activities. Hopefully the 20 days of antibiotics (that I fought tooth and nail for) worked. Now we wait to see if that was all I needed. What a weird turn of events. 😬

I feel like I’ve been running at like 80-85% at best and more frazzled than I already was (Ha!) I’ve wanted to make a post for weeks, but my capacity to concentrate has felt limited and I wasn’t sure what to say. My hands seem less inflamed today, which is great! Hopefully things keep improving.

Still getting out and about foraging and working on my naturalist course, but in a more fatigued and achy way. I’ve been appreciating my little flower garden extra, since I can go outside and enjoy a small sampling of fleabane, phacelia, poppies, yarrow, clarkia, and lupine in my own backyard.

Here are some recent flowers and morel finds. Starting with these gorgeous fleabane aka beach daisies just starting to bloom 🤩

03/30/2026

I just renewed a bunch of listings on my Etsy, including this handsome western toad illustration sticker! It's been really quiet over on Etsy lately. Share this with a friend that might like it or go give the sticker like on Etsy. Every time you like my items on Etsy it helps visibility in my shop.

PS. Happy spring friends!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1684626290/western-toad-sticker-whimsical

03/11/2026

Just a couple more days to see “Imagine” show at Nanny Goat Gallery. My painting Spring Gold is a whimsical floral scene, serene and calming. 🌼✨

I was having such a hard time with my mental health when I made this. All I could think of was hanging on for the next day- I really try to start each day off fresh. That mantra is kind of how I get through winters. 🤷🏼‍♀️ The recent S.A.D. season started early for whatever reason *waves arms at everything*. It’s finally starting to get better now, thankfully. Having these projects helps, even when I move slower than I’d like.

I had been wanting to paint this scene for a while, the thought of it makes me smile!
Despite other conditions being unfavorable, it’s incredible what can pop up during winter with a little sunshine! The Crocidium multicaule flower is nicknamed Spring Gold, and that name is so fitting. These tiny daisies bring the drama with their cheery color coupled with the low winter sun and often rocky or burned surroundings. Like dependable little troopers, always showing up. Resiliency is important in these trying times. Trying to be like this flower and keep coming back against the odds, building resilience is key.

Address

Portland, OR

Telephone

+15038194009

Website

https://etsy.me/3L0RdcG, https://swordfernstudios.company.site/?lang=en&from_admin&vertical=art, https://www.michellefmi

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