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« Previous EntriesOur Power, Our Planet
Friday, April 17th, 2026

Prairie Dogs, the Badlands Hoodoos near Drumheller, Alberta Canada. 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper, 27H x 33W” framed size – white mat and custom-built white wood frame with crackle finish. Showcased online at KBM Art Gallery, presenting “Our Power, Our Planet 2026” April 18th through May 29th.
The Canadian Badlands in Alberta and Saskatchewan are recognized for unusual mudstone and sandstone landscape formations, and also for having the largest deposits of dinosaur bones in the world. The geography in Horseshoe Canyon, Alberta is ancient, unique and incredible, and the prairie dogs – locals call them “gophers” – are an impactful part of prairie ecology, having extensive influence on vegetation and animal life. They live in colonies of up to several thousand, burrowing in networks of tunnels where other ground-dwelling creatures move in, various grass species are maintained, and rainwater is reserved and redirected.
They are cute to be sure, sitting up on their haunches chirping at one another, but they can be a nuisance to farmers whose horses and cattle can trip in the holes. Pest control programs during the 1900’s meant their numbers have declined, which congruently reduced acres of grasslands they helped sustain. As their own highways became populated with humans and cars, particularly during Springtime they are a road hazard.
In Torrington, Alberta, one lady has found a creative way to utilize the unfortunate casualties. You must visit The World-Famous Gopher Hole Museum located in the middle of nowhere, in a small hamlet where there is not even a gas station, along a seemingly endless dusty gravel road about an hour Northwest of Drumheller. Gophers are stuffed, sporting handmade costumes and placed in small cubicles displaying historic scenes. Completely bizarre, but actually very well done and absolutely worth the conversation-provoking side-trip if you are planning to visit Drumheller and the Tyrell Dinosaur Museum.
Monte
Monday, February 23rd, 2026
My oldest son created a fun new children’s video featuring our grandson Paul’s voice, called How’s the Weather? (watch Monte Studios link) If I could choose a voice for Monte, it would be this one! 5-year-old Paul’s Mandarin accent gives Monte such personality. Apparently when they were dubbing the audio for the final scene, Paul was very concerned that, “Baba (daddy), the ice cream is melting!”, so Adrian left that part in without translation. Very cute!
Humorous 2025
Friday, May 23rd, 2025

Sleepy Kitty, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper, framed size 27H x 33W” (2021), white mat and white wood frame with crackle finish. Showing in Exhibizone’s “Humorous 2025” May 24 – July 24, 2025.
Exhibizone: Humorous 2024
Friday, May 10th, 2024
Peace On Earth amidst the changes, Pen and Ink drawing, 1999. Limited edition prints available. Showcased in Exhibizone’s “Humorous 2024” online exhibition May 10 – July 10th.
Cam’s crab shell
Tuesday, February 6th, 2024
Who sees a crab shell on the beach and thinks, “I wanna paint that thing!”? … my 12-year-old grandson. We took him to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time when he visited us during Thanksgiving last year. He also gathered a lot of shells to create a video of smashing. When I go to the beach, my imagination only ventures as far as how pretty it would be as a pastels-on-paper seascape, but true creativity knows no bounds. I love it!
The Strawberry
Saturday, June 10th, 2023
The Strawberry, 24H x 18W inches graphite on paper.
Tobias – Jia Xin
Thursday, April 6th, 2023

Sweet Dreams, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper.
First Time in the Garden
Thursday, February 9th, 2023

First Time in the Garden, 18H x 24W inches soft pastels on paper. The images below are three phases of the work in progress. I liked the garden details but chose to blur some of them at the edges in order to keep the emphasis on the chick.
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A Pretty Tail
Sunday, September 18th, 2022

A Pretty Tail, 16H x 23W inches soft pastels on paper, 22H x 29W inches framed size.
Soccer Mom
Sunday, May 8th, 2022

Soccer Mom, 16 x 20 graphite and digital





