One year ago today, on the Alberta Legislature grounds, noon hour painting "Do bears shit in the woods?" unfinished painting that begs the question does Freedom Of Expression & Free Press exist inside the Alberta Legislature? Not really, UCP Speaker Nathan Cooper's Sgt-At-Arms has assured this by banning me from the public gallery for wearing my art on a t-shirt.
“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself.” Oscar Wilde.
The Speakers Banned Speech and Wear designer t-shirts was born while Chicago Exploring July 5-8, 2019. Inspired from the art installation of Virgil Abloh's "Figures of speech" and INTUIT Art Gallery, outsider, intuitive art. This 2020 Freedom to Express & Listen art project will answer Speaker Nathan Cooper's Sgt-At-Arms question he posed to me June, 2019 "Is the Alberta Legislature an honourable place?" He was angry when he asked me this question, inches away from my face in an intimidating way, after he and staff banned my t-shirt and bullied me in an unsesured location outside the assembly. I was wearing a t-shirt I created with my own art to help promote my citizen free news inside the public gallery. One LASS employee who took my photo said the complaint originated from a reporter sitting in the press gallery. (There was only one reporter that day) Inside the Government's Speaker Nathan Cooper's assembly anyone can wear mostly anything they choose such as an Oilers, Flames hockey jersey. They can dress as a queen, wear union labels on thier jackets and advertise thier company "We Love Alberta Oil & Gas" but God help you if you create your own art on a t-shirt and a news reporter catches you. While painting outdoors, putting up posters around town and news picketing outside the Alberta Legislature I'm committed to answer the good Srg-At-Arms question on the Legislature being honourable later this year after December 21, 2020... Enjoy your freedoms, thank a veteran.
Navy Pier, windy city #Chicago exploring July 5-8, 2019 (last day) As a tear wells up in my eye, I'm so grateful we made it to Chicago last year, inspired by it's museums and beautiful people. “Blessed are the people of Chicago, and blessed the strangers in their midst, it is honest, and it is abundant.” James
Chicago Exploring July 5-8 2019, 1 AM Sarah went to bed. I went out looking for a 7-11 as everything was closed inside our Downtown Sheraton Grand./CRACK 3 black men running away while a 4th big black guy lay on the road twitching in a pool of blood by the hotel #187 Sketch Study
Alberta Legislature 2020-07-08: I'm halfway through my 2020 Freedom to Express & Listen art project, inspired while #Chicago Exploring July 5-8, 2019. I hope by the end of the year I'll be able to answer the Sgt.-At-Arm's question he asked me spring 2019 "Is this (The Alberta Legislature) an honourable place?"
April 18, 2020 : This is Kerra, a carpenter in her 40s from Drayton Valley. Kerra's street name is Special K, homeless living on the streets of Edmonton, Kerra went to the same high school where Drayton Valley UCP MLA Mark Smith taught in high school. She kept me company the whole time as I painted over the Walterdale Bridge art project, now named "Buffalo Eye" thanks to Kerra who said she sees a buffalo in my painting. She got out some paper from her pack and began to draw while I painted. Early this week Premier Kenney said as Albertans we must try to be like the buffalo herds, staying close together in our communities, helping each other while facing today's adversities of COVID19 and Canada's failing economy.
YouTube: "Buffalo Eye, 20-20 Vision" was painted over two other paintings joined together with 3 staples showing the old Walterdale bridge and the construction of the new Walterdale bridge. 2020 Freedom to Express and Listen.
2020-04-18 I painted over the Walterdale Bridge art project, now named "Buffalo Eye" thanks to Kerra who said she sees a buffalo in my painting. She got out some paper from her backpack and began to draw while I painted. This is Special K rummaging through the garbage after we said goodbye
If I continue to remain healthy & COVID19 free, I'll be freely expressing my art outdoors on the Alberta Legislature grounds and secret hiding places in the river valley in the coming days, while practising Social Distancing.
I completed 'Trouble maker, the coming storm' later that summer 2019, next to UCP Premier Jason Kenney's office. I began painting October 2017 next to Rachel Notley's office adding a homeless person sleeping under an Alberta Legislature tree, outdoors in the harsh Alberta elements. The person was protected with a multi coloured blanket inspired by the robe of many colors, the garment that Joseph owned, which was given to him by his father Jacob. In 2019 one of the Alberta Sheriffs could not see the homeless man that I painted, but the head of an eagle. This fascinated me because for me art is interpreted by the eyes of the beholder, so I painted a totem with heart with the broken off head of an eagle that laid at the base of the totem. The orbs were originally supposed to be headlights of a police car or off road truck of hunters coming to disrupt the sleeping homeless person. Snow like speckles were later added to represent the beginning of a snow storm. It wasn't until the corona virus of 2020 that hit and crippled the world that I began to interpret these orbs as the COVID19 virus.
YouTube: October 17, 2017 Alberta Legislature grounds, next to Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's office I began to paint 'Trouble maker, the coming storms' This painting was completed the summer of 2019 outdoors next to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's office. "Trouble maker, the coming storm" was painted over another painting showing the construction of the new Walterdale bridge.
"When I first looked at it, it reminded me of Notre Dame Cathedral burning. It also reminds me also of some of Van Gogh’s paintings. If we are burning now, like Notre Dame, we will rise better and stronger." - Marg McCuaig-Boyd
One year ago today, on the Alberta Legislature grounds, noon hour painting "Do bears shit in the woods?" unfinished painting tha...
