No elbows up from this Albertan. To say I’m proud to be Canadian, knowing the genocide we inflicted on the indigenous peoples in Canada, would be a lie. Good to see the Carolina Hurricanes even the score with the Vegas Knights last night. Both teams are loaded with talent—Canadian-born—and the Canes and Knights fans are all having fun, fun, fun. Continued...
The Diamond Willow Tree
XLife
Left Stage, Exit Right, Free from the Artifice
Doug Brinkman
Troublemaker, the coming storm
Art is Freedom
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2026-06-10, Painter's Notes: From 2017 to 2019, I painted the acrylic “Troublemaker, The Coming Storm.” It began on location in front of the Alberta Legislature, where dozens of angry pro- and anti-pipeline activists were separated by Edmonton Police Service officers and Alberta Sheriffs.
On the backside, painted during COVID19—titled "Red Dress, I Am"—represents the murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. That side was painted by many hands, young and old, during the anti-lockdown protests outside the Queen Elizabeth building, in Violet King Henry Plaza, named after Canada’s first black female lawyer, educated at the University of Alberta, who began her career in the USA.
Late in the afternoon yesterday, at 3 p.m., I lay down and slept. I had a nightmare. My wife Sarah said she could hear me yelling in my sleep, demanding an apology. These controversial paintings, which I've painted over 13 years, which reflect the news stories of the day, can sometimes take a lot out of me, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
