Elm with beetle marks. Stained Ash stands.
Dimensions variable - 23” x 4” x 6”
The dead elm branches are harvested, cleaned and the beetle trails are ingalio inked before being sanded and finished for display. The patterns in the wood are made by Elm bark beetles. These insects are vectors for Dutch Elm disease, a fungal infection that was responsible for the decimation of most of the towering Elms in the United States.
I remember my grief when five huge trees were cut down in my family’s front yard after succumbing to this disease. Discovering these patterns decades later, I became enamored with the residue of beetles that helped to spread devastation. The push and pull of growth and death, beauty and decay are evident in the imprint of these small creatures.
Elm with beetle marks. Stained Ash stands.
Dimensions variable - 23” x 4” x 6”
The dead elm branches are harvested, cleaned and the beetle trails are ingalio inked before being sanded and finished for display. The patterns in the wood are made by Elm bark beetles. These insects are vectors for Dutch Elm disease, a fungal infection that was responsible for the decimation of most of the towering Elms in the United States.
I remember my grief when five huge trees were cut down in my family’s front yard after succumbing to this disease. Discovering these patterns decades later, I became enamored with the residue of beetles that helped to spread devastation. The push and pull of growth and death, beauty and decay are evident in the imprint of these small creatures.
