Midnight Sun

By Kathleen Dietz

36" Large Butterfly

In the darkest of nights, the brilliant colors of the Aurora Borealis illuminate the day. Purple/blue of the night. In just this way, the "Midnight Sun" Butterfly adds its colors as the dawn breaks. She signals hope of a new day, a new era, afresh start. Her colors: Red- passion Yellow - happiness, warmth. Orange - strength, creativity, Purple - nobility.

In my youth I viewed the Northern Lights and was fascinated... ergo one of favorite songs was "Midnight Sun." (Ella Fitzgerald / Chat Jane Christy) Theme of my senior prom "Midnight Sun." And now I carry this theme into my butterfly.

My interest in art started relatively early. Earned a small art scholarship at the exact same time I was accepted into another science program, so art was put on hold. In early 1990 I met Lou Maestas from Art Masters Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Over the next several years my paintings began to grow in size and depth and to take on a style of it's own. Primarily working in pastels and concentrating on landscapes, I enjoyed the challenges nature can throw at an artist. When Lou moved from Albuquerque, he encouraged me to expand into another medium. For the next five years I was mentored by Jan Keefer in oils.

Although landscapes are my love, the sky drives my passion for color. The sky has its own brilliance, intensity, spirit, and emotion that I feel I can capture in my paintings. Working primarily from photographs, I am able to combine the yearning for the outdoors with the tranquility of my studio. I feel that art can touch a persons soul and spirit and I am grateful for the gift I've been given.

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