1 minute read
Suze Woolf Seattle,
Washington
“As neither scientist nor engineer, I am more likely to contribute to changing attitudes than technical solutions. We need new ways to engage with nature. Artwork that provokes attention is one step in the process.”
While Suze Woolf’s paintings of burned trees and artist books from beetle-killed trees look very different, they are inspired by the same theme: the impact of climate change on the natural world. Woolf’s paintings capture the char patterns on trees found in burned forests throughout the American and Canadian West. In this body of work, Woolf draws our attention to the role of the warming planet in the frequency of catastrophic fires in the West.
Woolf’s artist books made from beetle-killed trees accentuate the hieroglyphic “scribing” of bark beetles. By doing so, she likens the marks to a script that we cannot read. Woolf crafts her books to contrast the rough and delicate textures of the materials, while also informing us about the processes that created them. The works serve as a meditation on the beauty of the natural world, as well as an opportunity for us to learn about the effects of certain bark beetle species on Western forests.
Suze Woolf
Seattle, Washington
Telegraph Canyon, 2019
Varnished watercolor on torn paper
A burned tree totem that shows both char and bark beetle galleries from Zion National Park in Utah.
Courtesy of the artist
Suze Woolf
Seattle, Washington Split, 2022
Varnished watercolor on torn paper
I saw this tree on Carleton Ridge south of Missoula, Montana. Exposed to high winds blowing sandy soil near the top of the ridge, its surface was like a smoothed stone sculpture.
Courtesy of the artist
Log, handmade Japanese paper (Unruyu kozo; chiri); iron-oxide dyed non-woven viscose; nylon thread
Chiri means “leftover” in Japanese, referring to small bits of bark leftover in the paper. The red circular areas are rubbings representing beetle kill in the Quesnel Timber Supply Area of British Columbia between 19992016.
Courtesy of the artist
