on human cultivation, the white mulberry tree’s role in silk and paper production, and the bitter - sweet sacrifice of silk harvesting, inviting reflec - tion on transformation and fragility. This piece resonates with the intricate silk tap - estries of French artist Émile Gallé, whose Art Nouveau works often wove natural motifs with symbolic depth, though Shoosty’s digital ap - proach adds a modern layer. Silk naturalist Hen - ry McCook once wrote, “The silkworm’s thread is a slender chain that binds nature to man’s hand,” a thought that echoes Shoosty’s explora - tion of this ancient, symbiotic relationship through his luminous, tactile art.
THE STORY OF SILK Stephen Shooster, known as Shoosty, presents “The Story of Silk” (2024) at the Shoosty Bugs ex - hibition in Daytona’s Museum of Arts and Scienc - es. This 36” square piece, crafted on 18mm silk twill with double-sided printing and hand-rolled edges, delves into the life cycle of the Bombyx mori silk moth and its deep ties to humanity. The artwork, set against a backdrop of green mulber - ry leaves, features silk moths, caterpillars, and cocoons, rendered with intricate vector details that highlight the delicate interplay of nature and craft. Shoosty’s choice of silk as both medium and metaphor underscores the moth’s reliance
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Shoosty inspecting the quality.
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