My photographs are my way of preserving what now is and will never be again, recorded on film without recourse to darkroom magic or digital manipulation. They are the truths of the moment, unbiased perceptions, the specific details that represent the whole. Here colour, form, texture, pattern, shadow and light blend, contrast or harmonise as they create a mood, evoke a feeling, or satisfy a need.

Thus my photographs of the pioneer places of worship in Manitoba are an attempt to capture, and preserve, the spirit of each sacred building; the two dimensional extrapolation of the the motivation for its creation: the ultimate expression of dedication and faith.

Therefore the images are not intended to be only a documentation of what remains in rotting wood and crumbling stone but an evaluation of the premise, the process and the project – in each instance different, in some instances unique, and in all instances significant.

Essentially each photograph is also a tangible record of a historical state and, as such, one that will never be again. Collectively they are a visual reference to part of our heritage. These are the works of art of persons long gone recorded now for generations to come. They are the landmarks on both a permanent spiritual landscape and a constantly changing physical one.

But the narrow and restricted limitations of a single exposition are inadequate to extend the understanding of the where, the why and the when of pioneer church building. Hence, to further extend the experience of these historic images to as wide an audience as possible the intent is to circulate Testaments of Faith, Manitoba’s Pioneer Churches as a travelling exhibition.

This 48-piece exhibition was hosted at 12 locations around the province from 2005 to 2008, and at six other galleries thereafter. It is now available in whole or in part for display at other venues.