Royal Treats is a body of work that was partially conceived in the fall of 1994, but put on hold while I undertook the commission to paint the fourteen Stations of the Cross for St. David's Anglican Church in Vancouver.

Before I took on the Stations of the Cross, my initial ideas for Royal Treats were to encompass images of superstition and ritual set in fast food restaurants. The paintings "Royal Treats" and "Sandwich Artist" reflect these themes. "Royal Treats," which takes place in a Dairy Queen, is loosely based on the Catholic ritual of communion, while "Sandwich Artist" takes a more pagan approach by depicting a palm reading at a Subway sandwich shop. Two other works, "Fast Food Ritual" I & II, also deal with similar themes.

After completing Stations of the Cross in early 1996 and returning to Royal Treats, I was faced with the task of rounding out the four works I had planned with a half-dozen or so new ones. I was eager to delve deeper into imagery dealing with fast food and pop culture. Taking a cue from the names of Burger King and Dairy Queen, I decided to complete Royal Treats with images dealing with royalty and leadership. The first work, "Behold the King," shows a mock coronation of a fast-food restaurant employee outside of a Burger King. The second work, "So Begins the Reign", shows a pre-coronation anointing of another employee outside of a Dairy Queen, using a chocolate sundae.

A smaller work, "Chain of Command", depicts two McDonald's employees saluting each other, while another painting, "Preserve, Protect and Defend," shows a KFC employee swearing a presidential-like oath on a three-piece chicken dinner box. Another work, "McDonald's Nation," shows two more McDonald's employees standing in front of the Golden Arches with hands over their hearts and smiling faces turned toward the light in a pledge of allegiance-like pose. I also did a small self-portrait titled "Uneasy Lies The Head That Wears A Crown" showing myself dressed as a Burger King manager and wearing St. Edward's crown - the crown used in British coronations. The title is taken from Shakespeare's Henry the IV Part II.

My choice in depicting elements of the fast-food industry is simple; I feel that fast-food exemplifies North American culture and attitudes towards life. We want things fast, cheap, and disposable. The industry rules over us in an almost kingly fashion as it contributes to the shaping of our "get-it-quick" attitudes.

As with previous paintings, I have included no real message behind each individual work. I merely try to create paintings that stimulate the mind of the viewer and get them to bring their own thoughts and feelings to the images they see. They are meant to be interpreted in as many ways as there are viewers.

-May 1997

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