(Above, at home with a completed painting and my views before and after the 10 days of snow)

Well, I made it back (barely!) It was an adventurous final few days. I was so impressed with the way they handled the snow in Laugarvatn for the first week. Each day they kept up with the plowing – the roads and paths were clear. And then it just hit a breaking point – I couldn’t walk as far or find places that were easy to navigate. Then, all the roads in the area were closed. And emergency personnel asked that no one leave the village.

So my final days were not what I expected. A trip to Reykjavik was cancelled and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back for my flight. At a certain point, when you’re prepared and ready to leave, you just want to get out. And (if you can) you begin throwing money at the problem. The cab I took to the airport was a solo two-hour ride (yikes!) I had planned to take a bus from Reykjavik (I’d even already paid for the ticket!) The roads were bad for the first hour until I got a little further south and then it was more rain than snow and the roads were easily navigated. I made it. Had a row to myself and was happy to arrive home.

I found out that the next day’s flights were all cancelled – I was lucky my window of opportunity worked! And, I will be filing a claim with my travel insurance because I lost a hotel room, the bus ticket, etc. We’ll see how that goes.

But the last days of travel were not the point of the trip. In terms of the residency itself, I finished 2 large paintings and three small (long) paintings and nearly finished 2 other large ones. I still have to finish those and will work on them this week.

I did spend a great deal of time alone but I hope I didn’t give the impression that I was lonely. It was wonderful! My schedule was entirely my own and I worked diligently in the studio and took walks and explored the very small town. And I was in my own cabin which was brilliantly heated via geo-thermal energy and totally toasty! No guilt when the heat was on!

I came to the residency at Gullkistan Center for Creativity without many preconceptions and I think that helped me be open to whatever the experience would bring. I’d recommend it but you might want to think about what season you’re planning on going.

I’ve already made prints of the painting above (see below and contact me if you’re interested) and my next steps are to finish those paintings that aren’t done and spend some time framing for upcoming shows.

Finally, I’m excited to say that I have another residency scheduled for October. Again, I plan to blog daily and look forward to a very different experience in France at La Porte Peinte in Noyers-sur-Serein. Until then!

Here is my luggage – all ready to go (I figured you didn’t need another snow photo). 

BUT, Is anyone suprised that I have been snowed in? It finally became too much snow. We are in the midst of a white-out and the emergency personnel have asked that no one leave this town (to stay off the roads). I’d say we have two feet of new snow in the past 15 hours. 

So my big plans in Reykjavik have been quashed. No whale museum. No dinner with friends. Not much to do about it. Weather reports say this storm will end late this evening. We’ll have to get plowed out (again) for the cab to be able to reach the Center.

Flights from Iceland are delayed but my flight is tomorrow so I’m not sure it will be a problem. I’m lucky that we have enough food, it’s warm in the Center, and I don’t really have to be anywhere as soon as I return to Boston. So the adventure continues!

Yes, there has been a lot of snow. I have shoveled nearly a foot of new snow for the past week? 10 days? Who remembers at this point? Still, in addition to that workout, I have painted for 14 days straight and I feel pretty proud of that. I think the hardest is when you just can’t work anymore on any of the pieces in front of you. But then I tried charcoal sketches or paintings that were a new shape for me (long and thin). Trying new approaches can be daunting but I’m glad I just went for it.

I’m nearly finished with the “mosaic” Ice Cave painting. I worked for several hours on it this morning and think that I probably only have a day or two left on it.

And I moved forward in the second Ice Cave painting. Not as easy to figure out but I just keep plugging away – it will get there.

One more thin painting, not finished and that’s it! I have a cab coming for me (no more buses!) to take me to Reykjavik tomorrow. A civilized hour ride as opposed to the 5 hours/3 buses getting here.

I feel like I did a lot!

More snow – I have been shoveling every day. And each time it’s nearly a foot of new snow! It’s now up to my hips in places that haven’t been shoveled. The photos above are of the lake that we look out on. It’s actually all covered in snow except for small little areas where the water is warm due to the hot springs. That little pool is very small, perhaps 10 feet wide. Today during a sunny period, I walked to the lake and then to the gym. When I was packing, I brought my very big boots thinking I wouldn’t need them. They’re all I’m wearing these days!

I worked some more on the two Ice Caves. This first one still feels like I haven’t quite figured out where I’m going with it.

This second one, however, is coming together. I love the mosaic feel to it. And for the watercolorists reading this, I did NOT use masking fluid to make those tight white lines. They were lifted up and then I painted very dark edges.

Packing tomorrow! I can only work in the morning because I’ll have to make sure my palettes are dry. Last Sunday when I had more than a week in front of me, it seemed like I was going to be here forever. And now here we are, getting ready to say goodbye.

I realize I hadn’t posted a single photo of myself because I was so focused on sharing the experience. But here I am, getting ready to start working from one of my ice cave photos. So much space! And even in the darkness, so much light! It’s a real luxury. Having worked in my attic since the beginning of the pandemic, I had forgotten how great it is to have such a view. And, while I’m not in the market for a separate studio space, I can see why artists like going to a new place that isn’t their home and is more like going to work.

Well, the Monster is done. At least for now. I’ve already packed it up to take home. Perhaps when I unwrap it, I’ll feel like I need to do more. Or even take some away. Thank you again to Will Nourse for the incredible and inspiring Icelandic photo to work from.

I also worked some more on one of the Ice Cave paintings. I didn’t get too far because the sun poked out and I ran to shovel out the foot of snow that we got last night. (In case you’ve been following this blog, I’m nominating “Dr. Zhivago” as the Russian novel we’re living in.) Much more enjoyable to shovel in the sun. This and the other Ice Cave painting will be my projects for the next two days.

Finally, in the afternoon, I just worked in the studio trying to capture the view I see during the snow (yes! More snow!) These are mostly charcoal drawings. I don’t know if they’ll make it home intact because I don’t have fixative but I have put them between sheets of clean paper so they won’t move much. If they don’t make it, at least I’ll have the photos. 🙂

I spent a lot of time looking at the trees and houses. When I’m teaching, I often get asked how to paint trees or other subjects. And so much of the answer is not about painting, it’s about looking. Each tree is different – even these that were so obviously planted nearly equidistant from each other. I spend almost as much time studying them as I do drawing them!

Iceland is kind of the combination of all the things I love about cold places, without all of the things I don’t love. First of all, it’s incredibly easy to walk here – no polar bears, large mammals (even in Boston I’ve run into coyotes). It’s close to Boston. It has so many different vistas – glaciers, geysers, lava fields, ice caves, volcanos! And, honestly, it’s easy to be here because everyone speaks English.

But where are the dogs? I have been walking all over the place and yes, there’s a dog here and there, but mostly, if I see one or two a day, that’s a lot. Iceland used to ban dogs in the country (WHAT?) until the 1980’s when the ban was lifted. Working dogs on farms were always allowed but dogs were generally not allowed in Reykjavik (where most of the population lives). It’s expensive to own a dog here (high licensing fees for one thing), and there isn’t the same kind of culture of dog ownership. So Iceland is a bit more of a cat country (note the pawprints above).

Today, for the first time, I did NOT work on the Monster. I just need to have a moment before I finish it. Some time to look at it and figure out what’s next. Instead, I worked on two paintings based on my photos from the Ice Caves. The first one I started yesterday and moved forward in it today.

Here’s the second one…

Hard to believe there are only three more workdays here. I’ll leave Wednesday morning and then have a day in Reykjavik. Hope to go to the Whale (Hval) Museum and then dinner with friends. I’ll probably end this blog on Wednesday morning with one final follow up later in the week.

In the space of 1/2 hour we go from blizzard to beautiful clear skies and then back again. We’ve had at least a foot of snow and probably will get another foot by tomorrow. It is now over the top of my boots. But one thing, it makes everything brighter at night.

A few days ago, I “braved” the darkness in the morning wearing the reflective vest they provide, yak traxx, and using my cell phone flashlight. I passed the school as the kids were arriving and they couldn’t have looked at me with more scorn. Reflective vest?(Lose-ah!) Cell phone light? (Lose-ah!) Tonight, however, I ran into no mean 10 year olds and didn’t need my light or vest. So a win! 🙂

I’m so close to finishing the Monster that I need to not hurry. I’m worried that there isn’t enough breathing room in it. So I worked on it some more but started two new pieces based on the ice caves I saw during my last trip to Iceland nearly a year ago in March. Here’s the first of the two….

And the Monster, only another day I think….

(Thank you to the Scarecrow/Harold Arlen for that quote)

I think there’s a misconception about what happens in a residency. I got a note today saying I’d found a lovely place to “while my time away.” One of the reasons I’ve been posting every day is to shine a light on what artists do (or at least what this artist does) in a residency. I came here to work in a place that gave me time to really figure out some hard pieces and to move forward in new directions. I’m at the studio for hours every day and even my walks/explorations are part of the work.

This is a real issue when I’m writing grants to get to go to Greenland. I have to show that I have a body of work. I’ve been working on these paintings for over 20 years, with my focus on the polar regions and the fragility of what seem to be eternal structures (glaciers and ice) and the frightening impermanence in this climate that most people don’t get to see. Writing these grants, I have to explain that they are not paying for my “vacation.”

Of course, the first week I was away, Boston was colder than here! And I could have gotten some great ice photos from local ponds/lakes, etc. I couldn’t believe it! But the Arctic/Antarctic has my heart and the air here is different, the sky is different, and (for me) being here is just wonderfully inspirational.

I think I finished the painting below, “Ghost Glacial Rivers” – so I’ve packed it up neatly and moved onto other work.

And I’m really close to done with the Monster – which is exciting! Probably another 2-3 days. I really feel like it will be done before I leave here. Once I get it home, I’ll photograph it, frame it, and then decide where to show it.

This is where I’m living. So much light! It’s a lovely space and I have the entire cabin to myself. Most houses here have big windows to capture whatever light they can. Now that we’re moving away from the darkest day, each day is progressively lighter by a little bit. The light emerges at about 10am and it’s dark at 5. Not so bad.

It’s been snowing pretty consistently which means clouds. And the forecast is for many more days of snow. Maybe no more opportunities to see northern lights but I have seen them before so I won’t be too bummed.

I went to a local hotel here that advertises a breakfast buffet. I felt very hardy going out at 8am in the pitch dark with the snow. I wore a reflective vest that came with the cabin and used my iphone flashlight to light the way. Honestly, I didnt even really need all that. The streets are well lit and even by 8am the sidewalks and streets had already been cleared. I had smoked salmon on the typical dark bread, fruit and cucumbers. But the best part was the never ending coffee cup!

Then I got to the studio by about 9:30 and went straight to the Monster. I seem to have a real excitement about it now. Believe me, there were days when I felt, “just work for an hour” and then I’d put it down. Plugging away is a skill because you have to believe that it’s going to get somewhere if you keep at it.

When I couldn’t work on it anymore, I went back to the Icelandic glacial rivers. I really like how there are so many surprises from the layers underneath as I work to uncover them.

Does Iceland have trees? Someone asked me that as a comment on one of my photos. And honestly I do tend to leave them out. Iceland was, long ago, heavily covered in forests. But, in one of the earlier instances of environmental destruction (between the 9th and 10th century) the trees were harvested to the point of near extinction to provide fuel. Most of the trees you’ll see in Iceland have been planted by people recently (within 100+ years). The loss of the trees created a new environment where the island was much more vulnerable to the wind. This keeps the few trees that grow lower to the ground.

Here are some pine trees and a lovely snow-covered path by the highway where I walked today.

For this new painting I’ve begun, it appears to have started out abstract. In my head though, it’s still inspired by something real in Iceland. I love the photos of Iceland’s glacial rivers (there are many on the web, here’s one I just pulled up but it’s not what I’m working from directly (Photo by rybarmarekk).

Basically I put many layers of paint (and I mean a LOT of paint) on the paper. And then just started lifting. Each lift brings up the lower layer of color so it’s never bright white. This is as far as I got today - the right side is mostly done but the left has a long way to go. It’s pretty easy to see where it’s closer to finished.

And then, back to the Monster. A few days ago I thought, “I’ll never finish this piece, certainly not here in Iceland.” But today, I feel like made some real progress and finishing doesn’t seem years away anymore. 🙂 Still have a lot to do but maybe I’m closer than I think?