In an era when man’s living environment is created without consideration - form follows function. This is a symptom of our Canadian pioneer society.
In another time and other place, Venice for instance, aspects of the city were designed to enable man. Churches and public buildings were a reminder of  man’s connection to the divine and to a moral world in which his actions in relation to that world mattered.
 

This is a romantic notion.
These are romantic images.
This is a naive notion as well and this work embodies a naivete that contains an innocent belief in an un-jaded viewpoint.

The work is decorative. It is not attempting to be ponderous, serious or heavy. The creation of an object of art is motivated by philosophy and research. The artist renders the philosophy which is the result of the research.

The change in the viewer through contact with the work measures the success of the work. If the work is successful a connection is made and the spiritual and intellectual viewpoint of the viewer is altered. This is a romantic notion. The question then becomes - “what is to be revealed and how is it revealed?”

This exhibition is titled “Complimentario”, a naive Italian translation of “My compliments.” Whose compliments are being given and to whom?

The technique - cracked surfaces and natural pigmentation - is reminiscent of frescoes crumbling from walls to reveal images underneath. It is a compliment to historical realms. The subject matter - architectural motifs, classical instruments, romantic faces and excerpts from historical paintings and sculpture - also congratulates the past.
The pieces themselves are a compliment.

Julie Oakes