During Victoria Crowe’s 2022 residency in Orkney, the artist became captivated by the light of the summer and winter solstices, finding inspiration in the endless glow of northern midsummer nights and the luminous moons of deep winter. In Stromness and Birsay, she was struck by the sight of the moon rising over the vast expanse of sea and sky, illuminating the fast-moving clouds and occasionally interrupted by the tiny flickering lights of distant dwellings. She described these first studies as “the rich germ of evolving ideas,” essential tools for capturing memory and experience. Working from these experiences, Crowe created a suite of intimate oil paintings that distilled the elemental relationship between sky, sea, and land, using small flecks of colour to build tonal contrast and preserve the purity of light.
Solstice Moon is the second rug in the Orcadian Series. Dovecot Master Weaver Louise Trotter translated these ideas into wool, recalling how the depth of colour and richness of Crowe’s paintings lent themselves to a tufted rug. She welcomed the creative challenge of increasing the composition significantly and emulating Crowe’s expert handling of light and dark, through blending yarns.
