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NORTH ATTLEBORO -Art can take people many places, but at The Preservation Framer this month it can warp time and then jump start you into the modern era.

Peter Clarke, an artist whose work is on display through May 31 at the downtown gallery, can transport you to local scenes from generations ago in one picture and render a stunning, modern piece in the next. And he does it all with a rapidograph, a tool typically used for drafting architectural drawings.

"His talent, his integrity, his mastery of his craft, his point of view is very unique. He's in a class all by himself," said Matthew Slobogan, one of the owners of Preservation Framer. "I knew about him because he grew up in Plainville. He was a local legend as far as an illustrator goes."

Slobogan said Clarke's "powerful and charismatic pen and ink drawings have made him a nationally celebrated artist." Among the awards that Clarke has won are first place for "4:8-10" at the juried National Christian Fine Arts Exhibition in New Mexico, jurors choice for "Right to Bear Fruit" at the same exhibition, and first place at the Wildlife Exhibition sponsored by the Massachusetts Audubon Soceity.

The rapidograph Clarke uses employs different wire widths to basically draw the tiny dots. Clarke, who sketches everything in pencil first, starts from the darkest area and fills in his works gradually to the lighter areas. It takes 50 to 60 hours for a small piece of work to come together; for a work titled "Nils," it took a whopping 240 hours. "Nils" is a large portrait of a North Attleboro blacksmith from the 800s that was drawn using a dramatically blown-up picture from the town Historical Society.

Clarke, who is originally from Plainville but moved to North Attleboro five years ago, said "people just came out of the woodwork" and gave him photos to work with for his more historical artwork. One of his works, "Town Depot," was created from two such photos and shows a train pulling into the Plainville station during the 1950s.

Clarke's modern pieces include the award-winning "Savior," which shows hands draped in netting reaching up to an outstretched hand, and "Right to Bare Fruit," which depicts four pieces of fruit and a hand grenade hanging from wires. A hand extends from the bottom of the picture to the grenade.

Clarke, who actually hung those objects in his house, said a former Plainville police chief came to visit him one day in 1991 and saw the grenade, which had long been deactivated. "I don't even want to know where that came from," Clarke recalls the chief saying.

In addition to his work as an artist, Clarke is a full time landscaper at Dreamscape in North Attleboro. He has been there for nine years and says his boss owns a lot of his pieces, which comes in handy when an artistic idea strikes him at work.

"I can jump out to my truck and jot (it) down," Clarke said.

Clarke said his artistic muse can be all consuming. "I would have these vivid dreams," Clarke said. "Sometimes I would take a day out of work to complete the piece. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to complete the image."

His favorite subject to draw is sports. He said he has drawn seven of the New England Patriots, including Tedy Bruschi. Clarke said he presented the drawing to the star linebacker.

Dom Dimaggio, the former Red Sox great, agreed to sign 10 drawings Clarke drew of him if Clarke agreed to give him the original. Clarke did, and there is one of the signed pieces at Preservation Framer.

All his photos on display at the gallery are for sale; most were drawn 15 to 20 years ago. Clarke said he still draws, but mostly cars on commission. If you go ...

WHAT: Exhibition of artwork by local resident Peter Clarke

WHEN: Through May 31

WHERE: The Preservation Framer, 16 North Washington St., North Attleboro

MORE INFO: 508-809-3224 or preservationframer.com