Seattle: 2007. One-of-a-kind. Sculpture, mixed media; Yellow cedar, watercolor and laser images on paper. Designed specifically for its location at Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers. // For ‘The Cedar Branch Chronicle’, Curry collected one natural artifact and one man-made artifact during her daily walk. Without any self-imposed rules other than scale, upon returning, a watercolor ‘journal-entry’ composition was created from these found objects on a uniform 3-1/2 x 7″ card. The thirty-one daily paintings are suspended from a dramatic 17-foot long cedar branch found on the shores of Puget Sound near the artist’s home. The finished installation is essentially an alternative book-form, the paintings/pages free to be touched, and turned by the viewer, allowing for a rather kinetic experience of the author/artist’s ‘illustrated diary’ of her daily ritual over the course of July, 2007
An artist book, The 31 Journal Pages of the Cedar Branch Chronicle: A Book of Days by Jocelyn Curry, was published in an edition of 31 copies to accompany the exhibition.
‘The Cedar Branch Chronicle’ is a tremendous piece and one that clearly exudes Curry’s deep sense of place. The combination of the man-made found object with the natural artifact is tastefully and elegantly presented. By pairing the found with the natural Curry skillfully transforms the negative weight of the human litter that populates our natural world into a digestible form. Magically, it somehow becomes something we can live with.
It’s sure nice having this hanging around the shop.
Other work from the exhibit can be seen here.
Be sure to click on top and side image to enlarge.