I explored the banks of the St. John River, and I spent months discovering the Rockies when I lived in Banff, Alberta, awed by the monstrous peaks encasing me. Skylines have always been a focal point in my creations. From laying back on the earth to find shapes in the drifting clouds above to the mesmerizing thunderstorms viewed from within my parent’s car, I had seen much, but nothing had prepared me for what was to come.

My love affair with the Northern Lights began in 2012; I found myself 45 minutes north of Fort McMurray at the Mildred Lake Base Plant at Syncrude. I was far from home, a tad lost, and hungry, but I was eager for work and the opportunity to earn my keep. For the first six months, I worked the day shift, completing routine maintenance for the refinery. After a time, I found myself transferred from the base plant to the aptly named ‘Aurora Mine’. It was an area where bitumen, or tar sand, is dug from the ground. It’s a stripped-down, barren wasteland nestled in the breathtaking boreal forest.

Housed in a camp located on site at Mildred Lake Base Plant, I would commute each night to the Aurora Mine on a bus, headphones in. By this time of year, the notorious cold had set in. Light-plants (Diesel generated lights), sporadically located along the infamous Highway 63, illuminated the sky. The combination of bitter cold with the moisture in the air created an astonishing optical illusion, refracting light to create a mirage. I have always found myself entranced by them, these monoliths of light reaching the stars.

“The horizon was unfathomably splendid, like a choir of angels dancing on the silhouettes of pines and heavy haulers”

My first viewing of the northern lights was anticlimactic, with barely visible green tendrils snaking through the sky; they were nearly indiscernible from the emissions of the nearby plants. Finally, as evenings came and went, I was baptized in one of the most incredible light shows imaginable. The energy it produced was palpable, sparking delight in all who watched.

The emerging light would grow and swirl into a cyclone of vivid and hypnotic bursts, stretching from East to West. Electric greens would fade into baby blues, which would, in turn, morph into magenta wisps of flame, as though they were leaping from a bonfire. The spectacular light show could last hours or be over in the matter of minutes. There were nights our four-man crew would park the work vehicle over to bathe in the incredible green glow; it was easy to imagine being under the belly of a UFO.

Experiencing the Northern Lights was nearly spiritual, leaving me speechless and covered in goosebumps (although the cold admittedly could have had something to do with this, the temperature being 30 below). The horizon was unfathomably splendid, like a choir of angels dancing on the silhouettes of pines and heavy haulers. Having no way to put into words to the feelings and emotions evoked in me, my artwork became an outlet to explain the unexplainable.

The northern lights became my north star, my creative guiding light, and I spent my few waking hours after work, and on my days off alone in my room, trying to capture these images from memory. From the wild expanse of the forest floor and amazing night skies to the grazing buffalo and sprawling rivers, I still find myself in awe of Alberta. My passion lies with creating, and I hope to introduce these natural wonders to those who may not have had the same opportunities as I and provide a reproduction of our local, natural gems.

When I find myself at a creative block and am lost on what to produce, I tend to fall back on my love of the northern lights. They break down the barriers in my mind and light my way. Even 10 years after my first experience with them, they still raise the hairs on my neck and inspire the best in me.

Over the years, I have worked with various mediums from oil and acrylic paints to drawings. Most recently I have been working with oil pastels. The vivid colour of pastels breathes life into my work and allows me to capture the mood of my favourite moments – from the early dawn sun rising over the Saint John, to the auroras illuminating the Northern Alberta landscape.

The Splendour of UFO Nights: Inspiration at an Alberta Bitumen Mine | Adam Gavel

Nature has been a source of wonder and inspiration to me ever since childhood…

“The horizon was unfathomably splendid, like a choir of angels dancing on the silhouettes of pines and heavy haulers”

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