Ceramics and Delft have been impossible to separate from each other for more than 350 years and associated with each other worldwide. This is because of ‘Delft Blue’, which at first was a copy of Chinese porcelain famous at the time. The fact that a copy could obtain a highly valued status is thanks to the careful choice of subjects and the meticulous craftsmanship with which the paintings were rendered.
The painting on the clocks by Ross Emerson is comparable to the work of the master painters of Delft Blue. It is applied with great precision, but with a wide range of colors. Emerson’s work is distinctive through the themes used - Alice in Wonderland, Art Deco, Dali, Escher - but also Delft Blue. Many different cultural streams are used in his unique handmade artwork, pieces which also have a practical function: they tell time.
Using several basic forms, he builds up his clocks, which are sometimes decorated with ornaments. There is, for example, the viola clock, the leaning clock, and the perspective clock. The ornaments consist of small handmade sculptures which give the clocks an identity in a humorous way.
Occasionally he makes clocks to order. Personal accents can be added in the ornamentation or the painting upon request. Since 1998, Gallery Terra Delft has been the address in the Netherlands where the work of this British artist can be viewed and purchased.
