“The Energy Zone - The Eastern area of Hrísey is said to be full of energy and is considered to be the second most powerful area in Iceland after Mt. Snæfellsjökull Glacier. The energy is transferred to Hrísey from the stunningly beautiful Mt. Kaldbakur across the fjord. Here you can sit down and enjoy the scenery while inhaling positive and relaxing energy.”
I am drawn to northern landscapes. The vast, rugged, and often stark beauty of the north stirs deep-rooted memories of a land where my ancestors came from.
Growing up on the West Coast of British Columbia, I’ve been fortunate to live on the edge of nature, between the forest and ocean here in North Vancouver. This place, where I’ve lived most of my life, has helped shape who I am and what is important to me. As an artist, I’m inspired by the beauty of nature and my art reflects this, with my colourful flower and nature paintings, and more recently my Forest Tales project. While creating this series, it’s brought me back to my childhood love of fairy-tales and the mythical beauty of the forest and nature.
It’s also re-connected me to my past and I’ve recently travelled back to my mother’s homeland of Norway. Here, where I spent many summers and magical winter holidays as a child, I felt deeply connected to the land, the people and the culture. When I was eighteen I attended art school on a small island along the wild, west coast of Norway. Even at this young age, I valued the beauty and connection I felt with this country and knew I would return one day.
Now, as an adult returning to my ancestral home, I feel this deep connection at a soul level and I realise how strong these ties are… I feel it in my blood and bones, this feeling of “home” and a sense of place through the people and the landscape.
Lande, The Homestead - Then and Now
During my recent travels to Norway, I had a stop-over in Iceland along the way…
Again the awe-inspiring northern landscape spoke to me, urging me to explore this connection and sense of being ‘home’ that, for me, comes through the very land itself.
So, on returning to Vancouver I decided I wanted to explore this theme further by spending time in the north to immerse myself in the land and with the people that live there. I applied and was accepted to a few residencies, but chose the Old School Artist Residence in Hrisey, Iceland. This residence is located on a small island near the arctic circle and is surrounded by beautiful nature… (you can read about my residency here).
The Midnight Sun over Hrisey, Iceland
And so begins my next project - Land and a Sense of Place - and exploring how this feeling of ‘home’ is experienced through the landscape. How does the land shape the people that live there? How are the people and culture an expression of the landscape? What is the importance of the land and environment to a ‘sense of place’ and the feelings of connection to oneself and one’s place in the world?
Hestar meðfram firðinum (Horses Along The Fjord)
In April this year, I’ll be travelling once again to Iceland. This time I’ll spend a month at the Gullkistan Artist Residency in Laugarvatn, Iceland. This residency is located in another quiet remote village by the Laugarvatn Lake (with a view of a volcano!).
More art adventures to come!! Until then, I’ll be quietly working away on paintings and projects in my studio…