One rewarding aspect of making art clocks over the years is the opportunity to design and create clocks on commission. For about 7 years I've been working with L'Attitude Gallery in Boston to create custom wall clocks for the Boston Children's Hospital. I've made giant dragonflies, an airplane, a sailboat, a giant crab, three horizontal cityscape clocks and, more recently, I created several “Ode to Trees” block clocks.
“Ode to Trees 2” is a 30-inch-long wall clock rendered in various shades of orange and green. Two whimsical trees painted on 3” square blocks make up the center of the clock body. A whole lot of love goes into these clocks. The tree designs are carefully drawn in black marker, then painted with layers of color washes to create a surreal environment. Contemporary numbers are drawn on the clock face in gold paint marker. The clocks feature an open window near the bottom that houses a swinging pendulum. Black and gold scalloped patterns decorate every circle opening.
The inspiration for the 'Ode' clocks comes from my love of nature, particularly trees. I live in a place (Portland, Oregon, USA) where trees are abundant. All kinds of trees. Walking around (and around) my neighborhood with our border collie pup, I have plenty of opportunities to take notice of the variety of trees that grow and thrive here. A mild climate paired with steady rainfall make for a very happy tree community. Towering heritage elms overhang the width of a street, creating forever shade. Delicate Japanese maples provide the focal point for many a landscape. Not to mention the wide variety of pine trees...
Of course, one thing always leads to another, and at the start of 2012 I found myself 'branching out', if you will. I was commissioned to create a wall clock in the Ode style, but with whimsical flowers instead of trees. The challenge with custom work is usually the color palette and this project was no different. The intended room was a nursery and images of art on the walls and a rug were my starting point – and the Ode to Trees design, of course. In the end I came up with these fun, stylized flower designs, complete with a butterfly on one stem. I chose a mountain motif for the flowers' backdrop and a sunset for the sky. And so, the “Ode to Flowers (numero uno)” was born!
