LADY BUG AND DAFFODIL At the Shoosty Bugs show in Daytona’s Museum of Arts and Sciences, Stephen Shooster—known as Shoosty— presents “Ladybugs and Dandelions” (2025), a mesmer- izing vector graphic printed on 18mm silk with a duplex color shift on the reverse. This piece, awash in vibrant blues and yellows, captures a kaleidoscopic symmetry of ladybugs, dandelions, and insects amidst a web-like center, evoking a dreamlike meadow. Shoosty’s Chro- matic Fusionism shines, merging Victorian intricacy with Bauhaus clarity, while the silk medium—produced by in- sects—ties the work to its subjects in a poetic loop. The color-shifting reverse adds a modern twist, inviting view- ers to engage with the piece from multiple perspectives. Comparable to the whimsical yet precise works of M.C. Escher, Shoosty shares Escher’s fascination with symmetry and natural forms, though he trades Escher’s stark contrasts for a more vibrant, textile-driven ap- proach. Where Escher’s tessellations often felt mathe- matical, Shoosty’s feel organic, as if the ladybugs might flutter off the silk. Escher once said, “We adore chaos because we love to produce order,” a fitting reflection of Shoosty’s ability to transform the chaos of nature into a harmonious, museum-grade vision.
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Ladybugs and Dandelions, 36” x 36”, 18 mm silk twill, front Shoosty 2024
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