WHY?

I am not a fan of Salvidor Dali but his paintings of “melting” watches flowing over the landscape and draped over trees will be familiar to most people. I thought that using a resistant material like wood to represent a plasticised watch flowing over a rock would make an interesting project.

HOW?

For about a year I spent country walks looking at the ground searching for the right stone. Eventually I found what I was looking for on the Greek island of Levkas.

I sourced a piece of yew and, after rough shaping, carved the underside to fit the stone. Chalk was applied to the stone to identify high spots and get a close fit. Once glued to the stone with epoxy resin, carving the face was relatively straightforward.

The winder and ring were quite delicate and carved separately. The ring, in particular was tricky. I drilled through a thin section of wood and gently carved the outer circumference to form the ring and stem of the winder.

A finish of Danish Oil and wax was all that was required to finish the piece.

REFLECTIONS

I quite like this carving. You might have noticed that the watch is, in fact, a mirror image. So what is the time?