Clocktower Cottage is a multifaceted allegory encompassing many
dimensions of time, from the ephemeral to the enduring. The regal Edwardian
tower looms over its weather-worn cottage; the seemingly inseparable pair
to stand for centuries. Yet the clock marks each minute. The bell tolls
each hour. The cottage greets each season.
Fragile mushrooms spring up overnight and pass as quickly. Flowers
bloom, then wither. The spreading beech tree endures sun and storm before
the years claim it. The cascading stream both wears the earth to bedrock -
in the fullness of time it will claim even the granite dam - and meanders
in its course, influenced by the very earth it erodes.
The statue of Saint Francis will outlast his namesake, but it, too, will
inevitably crumble in time. And, above it all, the heavens from a
proscenium where the script of an eternal promise is played out by the
antics of rolling wisps of clouds - the ultimate theatre for time itself.
In a way, a painting is itself a time traveler - its message
memorialized for generations to follow. The message of Clocktower Cottage
is one that I believe is as timeless as a fresh new morning: Your stay on
earth is brief, consider the days and be wise."
