A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Daniel from Catherinette Rings and was introduced to the steampunk movement.  He was quick to name Eric Frietas as another artist he admired, and after visiting his site it is clear that that admiration is well deserved. Eric is an incredibly talented artist, with a vision that is the top of his field.  His work is amazingly detailed and high quality and seems to speak of both the fragile and indestructable nature of our society.

In this first half of our interview, Eric talks about coming to practical design via creative drawing and how his childhood environment has influenced his work.

Your clocks are an intricate fusion of old and new.  How did you develop your style?
Lots and lots of sketches. Over the years I've just kind of built on the good things that hit the pages of the moleskine; expanded on all of the happy accidents, and the drawings that struck that chord.

Where do you find inspiration?
That's a tricky thing for me to nail down, because I think it's a lot of things, from very different times in my life. When I'm drawing, I really try to relax, and get lost in my own head. If I don't think about one thing, or try to force a style, then everything my eyes liked over the years will come out at once.

More and more, I think the childhood stuff is starting to surface in my drawings. I grew up on a dirt road, with lots of trees around. My older brother had M.C.Escher posters and Salvador Dali books around. I got a very nice calligraphy set when I was in second or third grade, and became pretty good at that; even got paid to do some high school diplomas when I was still in elementary school.

I have some good things hardwired into me, and they all contribute to what comes naturally to me now. Then you add the victorian, noir, gothic, and anachronistic styles that I latch onto lately, and out comes these strange clock designs.

What keeps you motivated?
Coffee, music, and the thought of the finished product. These three things aren't nearly as effective when my garage is below zero and there's ice on my mill. It's okay, I have a heater. I reek of kerosene all winter, but I have a heater.

Can you name another jewelry designer whose work you admire?
An Etsy artist who goes by 'Vintage Filigree' creates some very well made, and well designed pieces. Her work consists of rare jewels wrapped in layers of beautiful victorian metalwork. Her fine art background, and her passion for design shows in her work. This is far from assembly line jewelry, as each piece is a one of a kind, handmade work of art.


Eric can be found at http://ericfreitas.com/.  His work will also featured at the Oxford steampunk exhibition - http://www.steampunkmuseumexhibition.blogspot.com/  (More about that, and the technical nature of clock making in Part 2.)