Artwork copyright Morse Clary. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Night Journal, 1996

Morse Clary
American (born 1939, died 2019)

Location: Lydia Hawk Elementary, Lacey

About the Artwork

Night Journal is part of artist Morse Clary's series of mixed media sculptures based on the book form. He noted that this piece “is about my memories of lying on my back on many summer nights in my youth to watch the night sky and, in particular, our galaxy, the Milky Way, and dreaming of time and space.”

Clary uses the book as a sculptural symbol for many different ideas and themes. His goal with this series is "to present a 'text' of inter-related materials, textures, and forms which viewers can relate to, and which convey a sense of beauty and magic of this small planet we are a part of."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with North Thurston Public Schools.

About the Artist

Clary grew up in Nebraska and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art at Nebraska State College in Chadron. He was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1965. After that, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture at the University of Idaho. He worked as a professional artist for over 50 years and taught art at the college level in Nebraska, Ohio, Idaho, and Washington, including at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Southeastern Washington for 25 years.