Who is this purple deer and what is that stained glass wall behind it? Are you inside or outside? Will obtaining the key the deer bears on its antler answer these questions? My goal with all of my paintings is to invite the viewer in to participate as the main character in a storyline of their choosing. Where the story starts and where the story ends is subjective to each person that takes a moment to glance at my artwork. I was inspired to paint this piece when my husband and I were rummaging around a store called Collage and my husband nonchalantly said, "Hey Pacific North Westerners like mushrooms, you should paint something with mushrooms in it." Insert face palm emoji here to get an idea of my reaction to this comment. But he's not wrong either. So I took my imagination on a journey out into the mountains around the Gorge and found myself face to face with a purple deer, perhaps guardian of the mushroom kingdom.