A series of paintings by Ian Pearson It all began with the 1995 referendum. At the time my work was primarily focused on American pop culture, but the shock of this near separation made me want to say something about Canada while I still had the chance. I wanted to take a long hard look at Quebec and French Canada so I could develop a better understanding of them. Since childhood I had really believed in the partnership between English and French and thought my nation held great promise. I was horrified to think it could all be lost. Then I had this dream. I'm in a dark arena and I see a group of men huddled together. Nearby is a young boy with a tennis ball. He looks lonely, so I play ball with him. Later, the boy's father emerges from the group. As he approaches us, I see he is Lucien Bouchard. He begins speaking to me in French. It seems what he is saying is of great importance but I am too ashamed to tell him that I cannot understand his language. Mr. Bouchard appeared in two more dreams and in these spoke English. He appeared as a form of mentor who healed and then educated me. These dreams predicted the path my psyche would follow in creating "Les Canadiens Perdus". This collection of paintings is an expression of appreciation for the sometimes-painful contributions made by French speaking peoples to the development of Canada.