Nancy Agati

Amarillo (Messages from the Bark Beetle)
ink on mylar mounted to acrylic panel
10 x 10 in.

This work is from the “Messages Series” which was produced during the summer of 2004 in New Mexico; each began with rubbings and digital photographs of insect infestation from the bark of a Pinon tree. Bark beetles are destroying these trees due to an extended drought throughout the Southwest. The patterns that are left on the interior of the bark are stunningly beautiful and suggest a form of language–communication.

Several of the paintings include patterns generated by a scanned image of the human fingerprint. The painting of these combined patterns simulates the image of moving and spiraling water. In juxtaposing beauty with destruction, these pieces present thoughts about the cycle of nature and man’s influence on its course.

© Nancy Agati