Winter Solstice VI Painting

Why I love the Winter Solstice Without a doubt, the Winter Solstice is the most optimistic day of the year. Since I moved to the dark and murky wonderland of the PNW, the annual Winter Solstice has taken on a whole new meaning for me. After months of grey and rain, Winter Solstice brings the promise of more light, longer days, and warm sunbeams…just around the corner. An annual tradition To celebrate this magical day, each year I paint a new one-of-a-kind piece to celebrate this glorious moment. Every year, there’s a different inspiration, depending on the mood and energy of the year, but there’s a similar energy of dark shifting to light with brightness on the horizon, signifying the shift in light, our Earth’s orientation, and my sense of hope and joy. Winter Solstice VI This sixth edition of Winter Solstice was inspired by the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. This December has been a particularly murky one–days on end of rain, grey, and even an atmospheric river have meant that our light-sensitive porch light has been turning on as early as 2:46pm! The color journey This painting went on a journey from warm pinks, oranges, and purples that comprised the underpainting. Once that first layer was complete, I realized it didn't quite match the mood of how this year has felt--the long journey of restoring after a season of deep grief and loss. I decided to shift the tone of the piece from bright pinks and blues, to more of a suggestion of landscape, marked by the slate blue clouds over the mix of cedar and deep blue waters we are known for in the PNW--a better match for how Winter Solstice feels this year. Bright, warm light peaking through the horizon line evokes hope–the kind of scene that has ever-hopeful Seattleites wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day.