Wall Clock Antique c. 1938

This watercolor painting of an antique wall clock, made by Jordan E. sometime before 1995, is an exercise in layering. You can see these delicate, almost transparent washes of red, giving the wooden clock case its sheen. This kind of layering isn't just about getting the color right; it's about time, about building up a surface through slow accumulation. Look at the way the clock face itself is rendered. The artist lets the yellow of the paper peek through, giving the numbers a warm glow. The hands of the clock are frozen, of course. So what time is it? That is something we can never know. This piece reminds me of Joseph Cornell's shadow boxes. Like Cornell, Jordan E. seems interested in the way objects hold memories and emotions. Both artists create worlds within worlds. Both embrace the ambiguity and endless possibilities that artmaking offers.