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I was in Detroit in the summer of 2013. In fact, I was staying at the Renaissance Center (GM's headquarters and a hotel) the day Detroit declared bankruptcy. Early the next morning, I was strolling through the downtown streets near the hotel, stunned by what could only be described as the ruins of a once-great city. The architecture is beautiful, but I fear it is doomed by a broken economic and political system.

Born in 1962 in New Brunswick, Duane Gordon travelled widely before finally settling in Montreal, Canada. His rootless childhood unleashed his inner explorer, inspired by such beautiful cities as New York, La Paz and Calgary. Gordon’s childhood dream never wavered; he would be an artist. Life imposed detours; Gordon earned his business degree from the Collège Militaire Royal, veered into high technology, first as a programmer, later a teacher and finally rising to the executive level in high technology consulting. However, in 2007 he determined he would “take back his life,” pursuing his art career with the same drive and passion that brought success in other fields. Gordon sought mentoring from artists, Sylvie Moncion and...