In the spring of 1967 one of the members of the newly formed 'British Columbia Speleological Society' submitted a small notice to the Daily Colonist newspaper in Victoria. It simply announced the society's formation, the date of the next meeting, and the secretary's phone number. I had just graduated from high school, was just finishing the last of Norbert Casteret's incredible books about his caving adventures, and was searching for a purpose in life. I was sure that the notice was 'destiny' calling me. More than 30 years later, I can look back at that moment with a little more objectivity than I could at the time.

Caving turned out not to be my 'purpose', but only a milestone along the path. Nevertheless, it was a defining moment and still has strong influences on my life. My very first trip in 1967 was the exploration of Riverbend Cave on Vancouver Island. Since then I have caved in England, in the Rockies, and in the U.S. I have many memories, (of wild adventures, and deeply felt moments) and I still go underground whenever I get the chance. The cave closest to my heart, and closest to my art, is Euclataws, on Vancouver Island. I have spent many, many hours alone in Euclataws. I am honoured to be one of its early explorers. I will never forget my first sight of its unique and beautiful formations. I try to portray in my art some of the feelings and thoughts I have experienced during my underground sojourns. Each piece represents my ideas as I consider eternity, what we humans think it is (often short-term) and what is expressed in the underground world. How short and insignificant are our actions, when we stop to consider the geological perspective.

We have our daily lives, daily concerns, but there is a different existence down there, a different 'life'. How and where, and 'can' we humans fit into that deep, dark, but not silent (have you ever stopped to listen to stalactites grow?) world we are lured to explore.




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