Oralee Nudson
Perspectives of Time
Inspired by objects of interest collected while exploring the boreal forest, these artist books communicate a perspective on the shared theme of “time”.
Anticipate – “Beaver Log”
Anthropomorphizing beavers (Castor canadensis) as architects leads to imagining planners, builders, and maintainers of infrastructure to transform landscapes into more hospitable environments.
Observe – “Dead Tree Full of Life”
Through observation and magnification we observe lifecycles and decomposition. From the death of a mature birch tree (Betula papyrifera) we find numerous species of decomposers deriving life sustaining nourishment from the expired organic materials.
Suspend – “Mushroom Foraging Journal”
The passage of wildfire through a boreal forest leaves behind burn scars and new opportunity. Following decades of dormancy, a burnt surface invigorates morel mushroom (Morchella esculenta) mycelium and encourages fruiting conditions. We harvest these transient fruits and once again suspend their state through drying for food preservation. Journal format inspired by the Grinnell Method of field journaling.
Track – “Family Watches”
Resident gray jays (Perisoreus canadensis) and their newest fledglings visit each spring. Like these younger generations learning and growing, we (Homo sapiens) explore and incorporate patterns of behavior and genetic traits into our experiences and daily interactions. We learn survival skills and celebrate events or achievements with ceremonies and gift giving through generations as represented by these wrist watches tracking time and tradition.
Compress – “Peat Book” featuring Corinna Cook’s essay, “A Triangle of Sun”
Peat core book covers represent compressed time physically or conceptually. Inspired by ITOC writer Corinna Cook’s essay “A Triangle of Sun”, the copper cage reflects global temperature variation for the most recent 20,000 years*. The twentieth century temperature change becomes drastic and reflects the industrial revolution’s influence on global temperatures. Raven silhouette photos by Jason Focke.
*Stefan, 2013, “Paleoclimate: The End of the Holocene”
“A Triangle of Sun” collages eleven ITOC participants’ volunteered notebook excerpts. Their words are supplemented by (and integrated into) a mixture of research and reflection by Corinna.
Oralee Nudson
Book Artist Oralee Nudson enjoys living in the Boreal Forest and observing its beautiful colors, textures, and endless shapes. Finding inspiration and incorporating unusual materials in the versatile book art form allows her to communicate abstract ideas. First introduced to artist books in 2014, she has found endless opportunity for learning new binding techniques, artist book presentation, and inspiration for future work from the forest and local book arts community.
