At the Farmers' Inn

This is an example of stagecraft. The setting quite closely resembles St. Jacobs, Ontario in the 1920s. Using photographs from that era I was able to compose a backdrop for the various activities. I have gathered a large archive of historic photographs over the years and from these I am able to extract characters. Using a bit of creativity I insert these "actors" into the background that I have dreamed up. I suppose a painting like this could be compared to a shot from a movie. Certainly my hope is that you feel that there is ongoing action here that I have generated by montaging these pieces of activity. I find it difficult to put together a large painting of this type because there must be a consistency of light and flow. Beyond the historical correctness there must be a vitality within the piece that does not resemble a cut-and-paste. Even today, after more than 40 years, I am still adding to my photo archives with the thought that these pieces of information just might come in handy someday.

A painting like this, I guess, just shows how much I've been influenced by television and the movies as well as live theater.