Eric Freitas is keeping the craft of clock making alive in Michigan and his latest creation is a work of art will have you thinking of Leonardo da Vinci.
Eric Freitas
I learned about Eric Freitas and his sculptural art clocks through our friend Dana Forrester, who is a talented musician in the band Dead In 5 and also the owner of Lucky Monkey Tattoo in Ann Arbor. Dana sent us information about an exhibit called Growth and Decay that Eric was showing at the Tangent Gallery in Detroit. As soon as I read the press sheet that mentioned a seven-foot freestanding clock sculpture, I was beyond intrigued.
Jungers Commission
I met up with Eric just before the opening of his show at the Tangent gallery to see his latest project, which was called “The Jungers Commision”. When I laid eyes upon this marvelous work, I was stunned.
This seven-foot clock is handmade from brass and steel. The entire piece, including the gears, screws, and even the chain used to hold the massive 100 lb weight are handcrafted by Eric. It took 2400 hours to fabric this marvelous timekeeping machine. It also took 12 hours to disassemble and then another 14 hours to put it back together for the exhibit.
It is clear after a few minutes of examination that this outstanding art object is a phenomenal example of old world mechanical craftsmanship. Each aspect of this creation is meticulous. You could spend hours looking at all the fantastic details.
Tangent Exhibit
Eric’s exhibit included a number of his earlier clockworks as well as many drawings and mechanical notes. Also on display was a video showing Eric at work in his workshop in Royal Oak and some of the books he used to learn his craft.
Michigan is rich with creativity and Eric Freitas tops the list. His work combines the timeless art of clockmaking with elegant sculpture. If you are interested in seeing Eric’s work for yourself, be sure to visit his website. We also have more pictures from his exhibit in our gallery.
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I have to say something here. As magnificent as the images and photography is, I promise you that it doesn’t remotely compare to seeing Eric’s work in person! Breath-taking art and craftsmanship merely begins to describe Eric’s art.
Eric and I started the journey that led to the clock nearly two years ago and I have marveled at his passion, creativity, attention to detail and genius from the start. I echo Art’s comment that photographs do not do come close to capturing the visceral energy and craft of his work. I was blown away when I saw the clock and can’t wait to have it. Thank you Eric.
Eric and I started on the journey that led to The Jungers Commission about two years ago and I have been totally blown away by his vision, craft, and genius from the start. Genius is an over-used word and, after experiencing Eric’s clock, I’m going to use it a lot less frequently. Writing as the person who is going to hide it away in a wine cellar, i feel badly that more people won’t get to see it. One of my missions in life is to proclaim Eric’s genius from the mountain top in the hopes that clocks like mine will begin to steadily flow far and wide from Royal Oak, Michigan. Thank you Eric.
Congratulation to your creation. A great piece of art.
It took my breath away, when I saw these images here.
Kind regards
Chris , Zürich, Switzerland