Jocelyn Marsh

About the artist

Jocelyn Marsh began her career in the arts with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Washington State University in 1998. Shortly after graduating she relocated to Los Angeles to begin writing and developing a curiosity for found objects and assemblage art. In 2001, Marsh traveled from Southeast Asia to Western Europe and eventually settled down in Brussels, Belgium where she continued to write and collect discarded treasures. It was in Belgium that a taste for the macabre and a love of science and historical fictions took hold for Jocelyn and by the time she returned to Los Angeles in 2003, a serious study into assemblage art ensued with the small collection she had started abroad. For eight years Marsh has been collecting skeletons, vintage toys, and other oddities bringing them together to form creatures yet unseen to tell stories she once put down on the page. Marsh currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Curiosities

During the Victorian era, greenhouses were synonymous with those who traveled and had as a pastime, the cultivation of exotic plants, flowers, birds, and insects found on their adventures. Serving as a point of interest for their owners and guests alike, greenhouses and solariums housed specimens and oddities from around the globe and were a centerpiece of discussion for those enjoying the spoils of the new industrialized world.

The Butterfly Series

In creating this series, Jocelyn Marsh casts each body bronze. The final artwork is housed within a hand blown glass dome and sits on a custom designed plexiglass base. Each detail is envisioned and created by the artist. Marsh casts the body of the curiosity from an original seahorse which are rare as they were used in Chinese medicine to the point of extinction. Each piece is plated in a choice of metals such as gold, copper, silver, and nickel. The antennae on each bug are made from a snake vertebrae that are then cast. Once the antennae is attached glass eyes are added to the body that makes the bug come to life. Lastly the wings of a butterfly are careful added and covered with a resin coasting that protects the delicate wings. Finally the insect is attached to a magnifying arm and set onto the custom base.

ripheus morpho chile without glass top, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

detail of ripheus morpho chile, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13 inches

ripheus morpho jordan, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

detail of ripheus morpho jordan, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

morpho merlina newfoundland, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

ripheus morpho antigua, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

ripheus morpho greenland, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

detail of ripheus morpho greenland, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

Honeybird & The Wandering Violin

Focusing on its two exotic namesakes, an African bird in search of honey and an Indian pink praying mantis, Honeybird & The Wandering Violin draws on elements of both the natural specimens and unique objects that may have been found in a Victorian greenhouse, each work representing the poetry of nature combined with a contemporary approach to antiquated details. From the architectural quality of a honeycomb to the randomness of tree limbs, and to the astonishing likeness between some foliage and insects, this exhibition illuminates the miraculous diversity of nature while nodding to a celebrated bygone era of design.

wandering green violin, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 9 x 9. inches

detail of wandering green violin, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 9 x 9. inches

wandering gold violin, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

wandering green violin, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches

wandering rose violin, mixed media sculpture, 9 x 13. inches