The Kraken 48" x 48", oil on canvas. Scroll down to see more photos of the piece and to read about how this work of art became the inspiration for a one of a kind time piece that is as beautiful and compelling as the orginal painting.
This detail view of some of the tentacles. The suckers are burnished in by using a technique wich layers white chalk over lead and charcoal. The end result provides an embossed, highly reflective appearance.
This detail exhibits a hint of the artworks gold paint. My continued love affair with the use of this material on canvas is a stroke of serendipity in it's relation to my Montana Watch collaborations.
The wonderfully detailed, hypnotic eyes of the Kraken. One key design choice for the watch project was to use the 10 & 11 O'clock markers as eyes, creating a slightly different, but equally etherial result.
A view of the Kraken in his new habitat. This particular space provides a wonderful resting spot that is often flooded with natural light.
The painting, resting outside its current residence. Direct sunlight illuminates the crispness of the gold paint.
Introducing the Seth B Minkin Kraken timepiece, created by the Montana Watch Company. Typically, this Highline Aviator case would come in Silver or Gold, but stainless steel is the material of choice for this particular project in order to ensure that the custom engraving does not wear over time. Other precious metals are softer, and therefore, there is always the possibility of losing some of the detail with age. Inside, the ETA cal. 6498, hand-wound movement can be seen in all its glory throught the exhibition case back. The 48mm case (Which houses a hand-wound Swiss ETA movement), provides an ample surface for custom imagry such as this. The translation of the art shrunk to scale and in gold is mesmerizing.
The Kraken, with his long, flowing tentacles, is the perfect subject to exhibit the custom capeabilities of The Montana Watch Company. The subject simply begs to continue out onto the case and the extra work is well worth it. The final product is a beautifully unique, one of a kind piece. To begin, a photograph of the original painting is sent to the engraver to work directly from the image, by hand. As accurate as this translation is, it's surprising to note that there are no machines used in this process. Rather, the engraver uses the bolino technique, a style most commonly associated with images on currency. Bulino means "graver" in Italian. It refers to a specific technique of arranging lines and/or dots in a specific order for creating "photo-realism" on metal. Once the image is complete, the watchmaker builds the timpiece around the freshly crafted dial to the exact specifications of the individual, offering a wide range of choices in bands, as well as a variety of precious metals and stones. My choice, was to keep the watches design clean and simple, which serves to showcase the elaborately detailed dial. The end result is a timepiece that is as high quality as it is deeply cool.
