Það Birtir Aftur/ The Light Comes Back
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Þessi sýning í Mjólkurbúðin - Salur Myndlistarfélagsins á Akureyri, fæddist í skammdeginu frá nóvember 2024 til mars 2025. Á tímanum þegar myrkrið umvefur okkur eins og hlýtt teppi og norðlæg dagsljós verða sannarlega töfrandi í hverfulleika sínum. Eitt slíkt fyrirbæri er glitský. Með því að sameina ljósmyndir í formi silkiþrykks og málverk fjallar þessi sería um hverfulleika, seiglu og heillandi heilunarmátt íslenskrar náttúru. Myndaröðin endurspeglar núverandi stöðu í heiminum og fangar þessi dýrmætu, fallegu augnablik sem eru tákn um von. Það birtir aftur.
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The pieces in this exhibition at Mjólkurbúðin - Salur Myndlistarfélagsins in Akureyri were created during the season of darkness, from November 2024 through March 2025. It is a time when the darkness wraps us like a warm blanket, and the northern daylight skyscapes become truly magical in their transience. One such phenomenon is that of glitský. Merging photographic documentation in the form of photoscreenprinted imagery and painting, this series speaks to the transience, resilience, and awe-inspiring healing ability of Iceland’s nature. This series reflects on the current state of affairs of the world, and offers up prayer of hope. The light comes back.
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Regnbogaský
Rainbow Sky. Súlur is the iconic mountain that hovers over the town of Akureyri in the north of Iceland. Below, by the harbor, sits an historic house that stands in various states of repair, even as Akureyri is increasingly redeveloped. The plants were all harvested here in the North, and represent several months´growth.
Glitský is as rare as it is beautiful and is a phenomenon of rainbow stratospheric clouds.
This piece is stretched circular canvas, acrylic and photo screen printing, and measures one meter in diameter.
Álma Hreyti Bjarta
The Breeze is Bright. The title is taken from a line in a well-known poem by Vatnsenda Rosa that starts with the line "augað mitt og augað þitt" (your eye and my eye). 200 years ago she wrote her poetry here, the furthermost farm in Hörgársveit, north Iceland, that is in the shadow of the stunning Hraundrangi mountain. The last house at the end of a gravel road marks where nature eclipses the world of humans. As I photographed the house through which breezes blow and whose roof welcomes all kinds of weather, bits of pink floral wallpaper fluttered in the wind.
Glitský - rainbow colored stratospheric clouds - found here in the north are as exquisite to experience as they are rare.
This work is on stretched circular canvas, and combines photo screen print and acrylic paint. It is one meter in diameter.
Fjalla Fegurð
Mountain Beauty. This features the distinctive mountain point, Hraundrangi, in Öxnadalur, in the north of Iceland. This mountain, as well as the abandoned house, Bakkasel, are familiar to travelers along the Ring Road on the way to Akureyri. To those of us who live in the north, these landmarks are reminders that we are almost home.
My classroom looks out to the sunrise, and in the winter months the sky brightens around 11am. On rare occasions we can see glitský, or rainbow colored stratospheric clouds, and when we do I have to take a moment to appreciate them.
The flowers were harvested in the north, in October before the frost sets in.
A reminder to keep going, that the light comes back.
This piece is on stretched circular canvas, and combines photo screen print and acrylic paint. It is a meter in diameter.
Við Ysta Haf
Tröllskagi, the Troll Peninsula, is in north Iceland, and home to a dramatic mountain peak. There, the road sharply winds around the peninsula at the edge of a cliff. Beyond that, between sea and mountains, is Heiði. I have photographed this particular house, as each time the colors of the rust on the corrugated iron change with each passing season, and there is very little sound except for the wind, an occasional bleat from a sheep, and the Greenland sea in the distance. Við Ysta Haf - At the Farthest Point.
Glitský, rainbow colored stratospheric clouds, occur rarely but only here in the north. The painting background documents one such day in January.
This work is on stretched round canvas and is a combination of photo screen print and acrylic paint. It measures one meter in diameter.
Dagana Vona
The Days of Hope - from a line in the poem, "Dvel ég í draumahöll", by the poet Kristján frá Djúpilæk. In the far northeastern part of Iceland is a lovely, if remote fjord called Bakkafjorður, and ever present is the mountain, Gunnólfsvíkurfjall that disappears into the ocean on the horizon. There are several farms that are abandoned, but still show their resilience to the weather. Featured in this work are two such houses found there - Miðfjarðarnes II and Djúpilækur, which was the home of the famous Icelandic poet, Kristján frá Djúpilæk. Both houses now are home mostly to passing sheep and blowing wind. The plants were harvested in Bakkafjorður. Featuring multiple layers of photo screen print, combined with acrylic painting, this piece measures 80 cm square and is on stretched canvas.
Innri Frið
The first work created as part of the series, Það Birtir Aftur, began as an experiment of trying to capture the feeling of a particular area of Iceland, with regards to its mountains and skyscapes, distinctive houses and plant life. The mountains are just outside of the town of Dalvík, in Svarfaðardalur. The house is called Ás, and is perched at the saddle of a mountain. The plants were harvested from the surrounding area in North Iceland. The sunset sky was one that I witnessed in this area in October.
This work was created in October of 2024, and features photo screen print combined with acrylic painting. It is 80 cm square on stretched canvas.
Dalalæða
Valley Floor. Fiskilækur is an abandoned farm near Akranes, and is a familiar sight for travelers between Reykjavik and Borgarnes. Mountains are in the distance as the road winds around.
This piece combines photo screen print and acrylic and is on stretched canvas measuring 80cm square.
Hringver with Glitský
Hringver is a long abandoned house outside of Húsavík, in the north of Iceland, and I stop every time I drive past, as, like the weather, it is always changing.
Equally changing is the sky, which in winter sometimes gives us a chance to see glitský, or a phenomenon of rainbow stratospheric clouds. This painting was the study for a larger work, as painting glitský accurately was an exciting challenge.
This work is on round stretched canvas, roughly 10 inches in diameter, and combines photo screen print with acrylic painting.
Djúpilækur
The house, Djúpilækur, was once the home of one of Iceland´s famous poets, Kristján frá Djúpilækur. Now it sits at the edge of Bakkafjorður in far northeastern Iceland, quietly occupied by the wind and weather, and occasionally a sheep or two passing through.
The flowers were harvested from the nearby area, and the painting was inspired by the spectacular sunrises that come later and later as the fall turns to winter.
This piece is on cradled wood that is 12 inches in diameter and features acrylic paint and photo screen printing.
Miðfjarðarnes II
This little house sits at the edge of the water in Bakkafjorður, which is a remote and quiet area in the far northeastern edge of Iceland.
I created the sky painting for this piece whilst on a weekend artist retreat, in a little cabin that overlooked the fjord, painting from life as the clouds slowly drifted by in the October sky. I collected plants from fields nearby and used those for the screen print over the house.
This piece is on stretched circular canvas, about 10 inches in diameter. It combines acrylic paint and photo screen print.
Skarð
This house, called Skarð, faces the fjord near Súðavík, in the Westfjords of Iceland, and has stood, resiliently facing all weather for almost a century.
The sky painting behind the photo screenprinted image, is that of glitský - a rare sight when stratospheric clouds create a rainbow affect in the northernmost skies. I was able to witness this through my art classroom windows, and am grateful that I have a group of students who get excited to point out to me when there the phenomenon of glitský is happening.
This piece is on cradled wood panel, measuring 12 inches in diameter.
Foss - On A Farm In Fossfjorður
The Farm, Foss, sits at the innermost point of Fossfjorður, which is near Arnafjorður in the WestFjords of Iceland. The photograph was taken, with permission from and a lovely chat with the owner, whilst he was fixing his truck and I was playing fetch with his sheep dogs. This remote fjord is home to quiet, stunning views and well worth the winding gravel roads to get there.
The sunrise, taken in the North of Iceland at daybreak, which in the winter months takes place around 10am, was the inspiration for the acrylic painting background.
The flower layer were harvested in October.
This piece is on cradled wood panel, measuring 12 inches in diameter. This piece is a combination of acrylic painting and photo screen print.