Outi Kotala: Kaamos (Winter Solstice)

Completion year: 2022

Technique: Oilpastels on paper

Size: 50 x 40 cm

Keywords: Outi Kotala, kaamos, winter solstice, winter

Winter solstice: the moment of the yearly cycle when it's dark and quiet, and one just needs to retreat from everything and rest, not just physically but also mentally. In this picture, a seedling for something new is waiting for the light's return, buried in a frozen ground under starry mid-winter night. "Kaamos" is a Finnish word meaning "polar night": the period of darkness north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun does not rise over the horizon for days (or months, depending on one's latitude). I begun working on this painting on winter solstice day.

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