de(Compose)

Even in the death of a tree there is beauty. The appearance of bracket fungi on a standing tree harkens its demise. A tree stump becomes a canvas for the artistry of the fungi.

At the foot of an old-growth tree, we stand in worship and awe. Yet, once destroyed, the wood from the tree fulfills our many needs. Ironically, this same wood serves as canvasses for our artistic endeavors.

In de(compose) the artist, Mary Kainer, plays with the irony of the beauty that accompanies the cutting down of trees. The beautiful striations of fungi are mimicked through the layering and cutting of encaustic on wood panels.