Wall Clock with Mantel c. 1939

This is Richard Taylor’s ‘Wall Clock with Mantel’, made with watercolor and graphite. I like to think about the decisions that went into making this, the layers and the order of things. It’s easy to forget artmaking is a process, a series of steps and actions, not just an image that appears fully formed. Looking closely at the woodgrain, you see the artist's hand in the way the watercolor is applied, almost like he's caressing the surface, bringing out the texture. It's a bit wonky, but that's what makes it charming. Then there's the clock face itself, this hazy, dreamlike depiction of time. It's not just about telling time, it's about feeling time, seeing time through a filter of memory and imagination. That soft-focus landscape reminds me of Corot, that feeling of light and atmosphere, of capturing a fleeting moment. The whole piece has this lovely, handmade quality that reminds me of folk art, but with a touch of sophistication. It’s like a conversation between different ways of seeing, thinking, and feeling.