November 24, 2020

When I was a child, I spent July and August in a Quebec summer camp 47 km (29 mi) north of Mont Tremblant and 208 km (129 mi) from Montreal where I lived.

The temperatures in the mornings and evenings were quite cold – cold enough to wear a heavy jacket! Sometimes, at night, I would bundle up and lie on my back staring up at the sky. Where else but the countryside can you witness such a vivid star display?

As an adult, now living in the Phoenix area, there are light pollution laws which require all outdoor light fixtures to be fully or partially shielded, with the exception of emergency, construction, and navigational airport lighting. That makes our evenings very dark – a perfect scenario to see starry night skies. 

My recent painting, entitled, “Starry Summer Sky” was inspired by an Unsplash image by Czech photographer, Tomáš Vydržal. I loved the way he captured the brilliant stars against the night sky, reminding me of the universe’s infinity.

Update: This painting was donated to Hospice of the Valley art auction fundraiser.