TIM MUSSO

Invasion of the Dendroctonus Jeffreyi
Woodcut/screenprint hybrid
72” x 39”
2017

Though several other artworks in the Contemporary Collection refer to sustainability (either by recycling materials or honoring organic processes), Tim Musso’s directly work takes on the existential and ethical imperative to respect nature. Musso achieves this through making massive and highly detailed woodcuts, inspired from flora he encounters during his ecotravels. Musso’s prints explore the inherent design of the organic and attempt to reproduce and to honor the natural textures, gestures, and shapes emanating from the untouched environment.

In Invasion of the Dendroctonos Jeffreyi, Musso highlights the precarious relationship between the bark beetle and mature pine trees. Under normal environmental circumstances, the gigantic trees are able to repel invasion of the tiny insect by creating a barrier of sap, in concert with cold winters that stop the over-propagation of the insects. However, with the impacts of climate change, warmer winters allow an explosion of invading beetle-broods which eventually leave a path of killed trees in their wake. Made from the unusual combination of two printmaking techniques - woodcut and screenprint - the result is a striking image that is at once sharp, elegant, and foreboding.