Welcome, Spring 2022!

Spring's a time for flinging open the windows, dusting off cobwebs, and welcoming the warm sunshine. It's also an ideal time for getting those creative juices flowing with home improvement and decorating projects.

Also dovetailing into spring is CA-Modern's brand-new print issue—the spring '22 one, of course—where inspiration is the name of the game.

For this issue, our 'Art About the House' series presents an article that will certainly stir your imagination, 'Hands of Time,' by features editor Dave Weinstein.

'Hands of Time' is time well spent with East Bay clockmaker Steve Hurst, an artist who "aims for visual delight, conveying emotion, and conveying joy," to quote Weinstein.

Interviewed from his STEVENart Design Studio in Point Richmond, Hurst regaled us with stories of how he draws his inspiration, and what makes him tick.

With a genuine gift for designing functional art that incorporates new, old, or modern materials into building his clocks, Hurst says, "I use anything and everything."

"It's interesting what people throw away," he adds, "even the drum cymbals that I use to make some of my clocks…some are dented and cracked, but others are still like new."

Rather than using a traditional or even a minimalist approach, he applies layers and incorporates unique and everyday elements into his designs, creating one-of-a-kind timepieces that are quickly becoming collector's items.

The congenial and prolific clockmaker says that he has a large gate at his studio entryway, and now that people know he makes clocks, he'll often find something left for him at his gate, even plain, old glass, and will create something from it.

"The quality that I love is that people get really relaxed and happy looking at my clocks," Hurst says. "And that makes my work so rewarding."

Hurst, whose cousin is Oprah Winfrey, says, "I'm going to send the new article to her! She's gonna be blown away when she sees what her 70-year-old cousin is doing!"

Another article you won't want to miss is 'Winner's Circle,' which will have everyone talking about what it's really like to live 'outside the box.'