I am so fascinated with Jerry’s Map and his devotion to his own creation! I am fascinated with the way he immersed in his alternate reality of the map, his passion and daily loyalty for 20 years… and more! It is astounding! This is an example of where true passion can lead you! Over 3200 individual panels! All been painted in acrylic, marker, colored pencil …
In the summer of 1963 Jerry Gretzinger began drawing a map of an imaginary city. The work started as a doodle done in the spare time he had while working at a tedious job. He continued to add to that map through the years until, in 1983, Jerry set it aside to put his free time to other use.
The Map was stored in the attic of his home in Cold Spring, New York. It gathered dust. Jerry’s son, Henry, found it one day while rummaging around. He brought it down to his father and asked what it was. Seeing it then triggered Jerry Gretzinger to dust it off and continue the project.
It now comprises over 3200 individual eight by ten inch panels. Its execution, in acrylic, marker, colored pencil, ink, collage, and inkjet print on heavy paper, is dictated by the interplay between an elaborate set of rules and randomly generated instructions.
Check out below a short documentary about Jerry Gretzinger’s amazing work.
Jerry’s Map from Jerry Gretzinger on Vimeo.
