Blue is the shared breath of the flock.
The human instinct to steady, reflect,
and see beyond the self.
2020, Cover Art “When I first looked at it, it reminded me of Notre Dame Cathedral burning. It also reminds me of some of Van Gogh’s paintings. If we are burning now, like Notre Dame, we will rise better and stronger.” — (Hon.) Marg McCuaig‑Boyd, former Alberta Energy Minister
In 2016, the Fire and Rain art project shifted my practice of free‑press painting—news cameras, canvases, and citizen reporting—toward Alberta’s wildfires and floods. Over that year, I published dozens of social‑media news stories and completed 25 paintings between January and November. The work appeared in more than 160 outdoor public art shows at the Alberta Legislature grounds, Edmonton City Hall, and throughout Old Strathcona’s parks and Farmers’ Market—not for sale, but to spark conversations and exchange stories across the city.
The project also faced three separate restrictions on my ability to paint and exhibit on the Alberta Legislature grounds by authorities within the Alberta Government. On New Year’s Eve, a City of Edmonton manager threatened police action as The Great Escape from Fort McMurray stood on an easel beside the outdoor rink under the Treaty 6 flag, where the project had begun that January. Each time, I responded with civil, information‑based actions, supported by my artworks and a commitment to defend free expression. All restrictions were eventually lifted, and in 2017 the City of Edmonton issued an apology during my Not A Bystander art project addressing anger, violence, and bullying. Art is Freedom Cont.
Art is Freedom
Hate,
I'm not
afraid of you
2016, Fire and Rain, 2026
Art is Freedom
Left Stage, Exit Right, Free from ARTifICE
Birds of a Feather Art Project
Faith - Democracy - Nature
XLifeY
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