Night Lights: The Wonder of the Northern Lights

The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are natural light displays in the sky. They are beautiful, magical, and rare to witness.

In Night Lights: The Wonder of the Northern Lights, Billie Rae Busby presents a new body of abstract landscapes to interpret her fascination with the aurora borealis. Using her signature painting style—a precise, hard-edge painting technique and colour theory—the artworks capture the magic, beauty and energy of this natural phenomenon. 

The series of acrylic paintings draw inspiration from the serendipity of viewing the northern lights in person during an artist residency at the Banff Centre in October 2021. Billie Rae is enthralled by the quandary of the northern lights, even if the science and data point to suitable conditions.  “To me, the aurora represents opportunity, uncertainty and potential. Their movement and colours are fleeting, unpredictable moments and we could miss the whole wondrous spectacle if we are not paying attention.”

Billie Rae Busby is an award-winning Calgary contemporary visual artist who has been exploring hard-edge abstraction through our landscape since 2007.  In her paintings, she strives to unearth memories of ordinary places with extraordinary possibilities.

Public Reception

Please join us on September 10, 2022, between 2 and 4 pm, to celebrate Night Lights: The Wonder of the Northern Lights, together with Come Paint Alberta. Artists will be in attendance.

View Exhibition Online