EARLY WORK

Preview: Saturday, May 7, 2005 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Opening Reception: Sunday, May 8, 2005 1:00 – 5:00 pm

The artist will be in attendance. Elizabeth Ely, harpist

Exhibition continues until May 28, 2005

Born in Victoria, John Di Castri showed an interest in the Arts from an early age, becoming a talented architect, writer, musician and skillful painter. As a young man, Di Castri admired the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and went to study with the formers most eminent pupil, Bruce Goff, at the University of Oklahoma. Returning to Victoria and opening a practice in 1951, Di Castri became the architectural brains behind the modernist movement, displayed in some of Victoria's most well-trodden landmarks; including the addition to the Royal B.C. Museum, Centennial Square, the CNIB building, several local churches, and University of Victoria campus buildings. Committed to the fulfillment of man's need for a significant environment, Di Castri injected modernism, low profile, and organic design into Victoria's architectural landscape. Now a retired architect, Di Castri has been named an honorary citizen by the City of Victoria.

This exhibition features a selection of early abstract paintings primarily from the 1950s and 1960s. "It represents a lifelong commitment in the arts of drawing, painting, music, and ultimately, architecture. It has been a journey which nurtured an independent attitude to the arts. I have approached the arts at times with naivete and at other times with discipline and dedication which provided the freedom to a broader perception. Personal comments on the arts and life at large stimulated growth of new discoveries and created challenges along the way."