"'A Blue Norther,'" says Tom Gilleon, "is a rapidly moving cold front that causes temperatures to drop quickly. It often brings with it precipitation followed by a period of blue skies and cold weather. The main cause of such a dramatic cold snap is an extremely strong storm system separating warm, humid air from frigid, arctic air. If the front passes through at sunrise or sunset, one can expect to see an intense and dramatic display of color in the skies."

The lesson in Plains' weather was only a start. Tom, in describing the work, talked about the blend of colors in the sky on the right side of the painting as being "to the north, because the dwelling’s entrances always faced east, even in a large village." The philosophy, Tom explained, was that every day was a new birth and that if you opened the door flap, the first thing you would see was the sun coming up on a new day. A quick look at Gilleon’s Fine Art Editions (with multiple dwellings) shows that he adheres to this in his paintings.