Eclipse to Equinox.

Totality (Eclipse), 43"x 63" acrylic on canvas. ©2017 Michelle Louis

The Sun. No wonder our ancestors revered it. Earth's weather, seasons, climate, and ocean currents are all driven by solar power. This yellow dwarf star, a near perfect sphere of blazing hot gases, holds our solar system together.

On August 21st, the moon passed in front of the sun bringing daytime "night"- a total eclipse- to those in the path of totality. We made the 7-hour journey to Missouri and were not disappointed. The experience inspired the above painting, "Totality (Eclipse)," 43" x 63" on canvas. I could go on about truly mind-altering moments, but one of my favorite writers, Annie Dillard, says it best in her 1982 read-worthy essay, "Total Eclipse."

On Friday, September 22nd, the plane of the Earth's equator passes through the center of the Sun's orb, marking the time when day and night are closest to equal all around the world. The word "equinox " comes from the Latin "equi" meaning "equal," and "nox" meaning "night." And so begins the slippery slope to winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The below painting, "Toward Equinox," 30"x 40" on canvas, was influenced by these languishing days of summer when light gets long and green gives way to red and yellow.

Hey Sun. Thank you!

Toward Equinox, 30"x 40" acrylic on canvas. ©2017 Michelle Louis