“The values, culture and spirituality of the Lakota reflected the state of harmony they enjoyed with the land,” says Tom Gilleon of 'Red Day Butte.' “You could consider many of the paintings I have done of tipis as soliloquies, but this one has much more the feeling of a duet, one that emphasizes that harmonious relationship.”

While Gilleon is renowned for his contemporary, geometric vision of the West, when he paints a landscape it is obvious that he can put it all together as well as he can take it apart. “If you remove the tipi, it would still be a complete painting,” he says. “Camp would always be made with the tipi entrance facing East so that the light of a new day would shine through there first, so this is sunrise and not sunset. I couldn’t resist having fun with the title.”