Ros Solis

About Ros Solis

Milly Ritsvedt’s lifelong exploration of the world of colour and its potential to express emotion in abstract form continued in the seventies. The celebrated contemporary artist created Ros Solis during this time.
The colour palette has shifted somewhat to include dark and light—the background here is neutral and provides dramatic contrast to the four loops of bright colours that provide a ‘valence’ to the work—in mustard yellow, bright red, deep blue and purple. Ros Solis means ‘dew of the sun’ in Latin.

"Over time the preparation process became more important. First came an idea, generated by a previous painting, another artist’s work, a notion spinning around in the zeitgeist, or my working environment. Then a canvas was stretched on the painting board. Thumbnail sketches were done, then days of mixing up batches of paint testing for viscosity, fluidity, sheen, and intensity of chroma."
Milly Ristvedt

“Milly Ristvedt’s colours are her own. They are applied layer upon layer of varying colour to arrive at the final hue. They have a poetry of their own. They are rich rather than clear, earthy rather than light-filled. But always the composition tenses and dominates the colour.” Michael White, The Montreal Gazette

Milly Ristvedt was born in British Columbia and studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr University). Her first solo exhibit was at the Carmen Lamanna Gallery in Toronto. In the late 1960s, Ristvedt shared a studio with famed Canadian painter Jack Bush, met art critic Clement Greenberg and was inspired by American painters Jules Olitiski and Frank Stella. Her work has been included in many publications, She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004 and honoured with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. She has won seven Canada Council awards and two Ontario Arts Council awards and had over 50 solo exhibitions and been part of countless group shows. Ristvedt's work can be found in major public collections throughout North America including the National Gallery of Canada.

Milly Ristvedt is represented exclusively by the Oeno Gallery.