Midnight Sun - Oil Painting - Christina Ridgeway Fine Art

The Solstice Show at Inverarity Gallery is now open! My dear friend, Anita Inverarity, asked me to be a part of their online exhibition and I was more than happy to accept. Whenever I hear the word Solstice, I immediately think of the summer solstice (which is actually fast approaching now!).

oil painting of two girls and a man dancing around the maypole as the sun goes down on midsummer night with flower crowns holding hands

Here in Sweden, the summer solstice is marked with the Midsommar celebration. Flower crowns, maypoles, unique dances It has it all…and in several parts of the country the sun may not set the entire night. I, however, am from the US and when I think of maypoles I think of lots of ribbons winding their way around as people dance about it. I wanted to incorporate a bit of both into this piece.

close of a painting of two girls with flower crowns by the maypole

And though midsommar is a very happy, joyous celebration…you know me. I have to add a little something else into the mix. I wanted the three dancers in front to be in focus, however I didn’t want all their expressions to be pure joy. I wanted there to be sense of intrigue, questioning what each of them are thinking.

What are the secrets some may be keeping or others who are not yet ready to tell? On a day that never seems to end, what will be brought to light?

This is a smaller painting, measuring 30 x 40 cm and is painted on fine Belgian linen. If you are interested in giving this piece a home – don’t hesitate to write to Anita at Inverarity gallery!

Happy solstice everybody!

Midnight Sun – Oil Painting

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