After the Oil-Sands

Well, after four long years in Calgary, it's time for me to bid the province adieu, at lease for a while.

But in the memory of all the great times me and Alberta had together, I put together this project - a series of illustrations exploring what the province might look like after the tar sands are all wrung out and the local government and economy collapse. I was greatly inspired by the early years of the post-soviet countries, where pre-existing criminal groups (some already in positions of power, some not) moved in to fill the void left by the collapsed governments, presiding over the new post-currency barter economies. With the overall long-running trend of rural flight continuing throughout the Great Plains (both in the US and Canada) and the ever-beckoning concept of turning the uninhabited expanses of the region into a "Buffalo Commons" (turning non-productive former farmland into native grassland complete with buffalo and wildlife) seeming more and more appealing, I'd like to think that the world I'm about to show you isn't that outlandish.

To check said world out, go HERE:
[link]