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Bizarre cement figures of all shapes and sizes adorn the outside of the Tinkls’ converted schoolhouse, which is their studio and home. Continued from page 26 Judith feels. Shunning the label “artist”, Viktor clarifies that he “makes things.” He’s not big on art being judged. “Art isn’t good or bad. It just is.” Viktor says, “It was a challenge to keep my spirit alive while working in an institution. | had, among many students, a few who made it worthwhile.” “What drives people to create?” asks the “maker”. “Money? Fame? Prestige?” No, it’s something intrinsic, inside you. An idea that needs to take form. It’s like the native artists who “told stories” through their art, but the word art was never used. “Some art is useless, some is functional,” says Viktor, who finally agrees that his novel creations “might put a smile on people's faces.” “Nobody cares if you do something or not,” Viktor adds. “The world may not need what I do, but I need it” Ah, but the world is interested. The world does care. Despite their renowned talent, a nice cup of coffee and a friendly chat is what you get from this modest couple who have been married for some 47 years. She cooks dinner and he washes the dishes. Judith loves flower gardening. Viktor built cisterns to collect rainwater to water her lilies. They are a team. Judith shows off photos of the mural Viktor painted at his high school, Galt, in Cambridge. Thanks to the long lasting brilliance of oil paint, the images of Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders, amongst other historic images, are as clear as when the 75-year-old painted them at age 17. His English and art teachers encouraged his remarkable talent at the time, which he said was “unusual” for that era. Viktor fashioned his first sculpture after he had some cement left over from a repair job on the building. The first thing he learned was to wear rubber gloves when. handling cement. When creating his statues, he uses a potpourri of items including metal, Styrofoam and wire. There’s no preplanning, he just “goes for it.” This is a summer activity, preferably in the sunshine, not in the rain under a tarp. Wintertime sees Viktor spending more time indoors, drawing. As Chair of the 2013 Uxbridge Studio Tour, which takes place on September 14, 15, Judith stays busy at the computer when she is not creating. The sunlight bursts out and all of the metal and the shadows of the concrete faces and the foot-printed drifts of snow and the shiny buttons on the quilts and the gilt on the frames all glimmer, transformed. On another visit, different angles of springtime light fading at dusk give the viewer a different but still dramatic perspective. It’s inspiring. “Like the Inuit,” Viktor says, “We make things. We do things.” By Lynn Campbell Focus on Scugog Tinkls’ Gallery is located at 18735 Brock Road, Sunder- land and is generally open from May 24th to Thanksgiving weekend, by chance or by appointment. More information at: tinklsgallery.com| FOCUS - JULY 2013 29