Mary Bee Kaufman
• watercolor, pen •
On a warm summer day there is a tinder-dry feeling in the boreal forest. Spruce limbs crackle. The shimmer of leaf miner activity floats on the breeze. I am drawn to the massive concentric folds of black and brown dead bark on an aspen tree. It represents an annual cycle that starts with dormancy and fungal invasion of cambium and inner bark, then with the return of spring begins growth of healing callus. Fungal cankers are significant actors in the boreal forest. The target canker I painted may not kill a tree but reflects the stress of drought and overall health of the forest.
In June 2024, I joined a group of BNZ LTER scientists studying pests and pathogens in the boreal forest. As stories were told and the science was brought to light, the details of fungal relationships became my focal point. The canker immediately became my muse.
MARY BEE KAUFMAN
Mary Bee Kaufman documents the natural world of Alaska through photography, painting and handmade books. Working on location, she develops ideas through observation and sketching. Recent work has focused on pests and pathogens, insects and fungal components in the boreal forest. She lives in the Alaska Range as a naturalist guide and art instructor. Her work is in public and private collections, including the Pratt Museum in Homer and the Alaska State Museum.
Website: marybeekaufman on Instagram
