Bio

Brendan Reilly lives and works in Guelph, Canada (near Toronto). You can reach him at 519 803-0792 or fronreilly@rocketmail.com

“My fascination with machines of all kinds began when I opened an alarm clock as a child. I was never the same again (and neither was the clock). My interest in the way things work led me to study physics at the University of Waterloo.

My first inkling of the potential of wooden clockworks came in 1979 from seeing a photo on a magazine cover. Within a few weeks, I had designed and built my first clock. It actually worked, and it inspired me to build my first limited edition of six clocks in 1980. These early clocks sold quickly, and soon I had my own workshop. Before 1990, I signed my work with the nickname “Fron Reilly”. After 1990, I switched to “Brendan Reilly”, my real name.

I have also so far completed four commissions. Two of these are very large works, with wheels as large as three feet across, and all of them have been designed specifically for their surroundings. I am very excited about the potential of this field, and I have lots of ideas.”