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14. August 2005
We have been busy setting up an off-line art gallery
at Skolavordustigur 1a. Grand opening will be at the Reykjavik Cultural Night
20th of August 2005.
A new logo means we have to restructure the look of
the web site.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
and Þrándur Arnþórsson |
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7. January 2005
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Last year has been good and the website is getting
more visitors every month. This year will be even better and we will have more
great artists joining us.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
and Þrándur Arnþórsson |
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27. December 2004
Three new artist are now up at the
Icelandic Art Wall.
Ágúst Bjarnason's
favorite fields are drawing, copperplate engraving and painting in watercolors
but he has been focusing lately on lino-cutting. He also has illustrated books,
designed covers and done some storyboard work for the cinema. His main subjects
have been Reykjavík and surroundings, people and seamanship.
Kristín Pálmadóttir is running an art
studio along with other graphical artists at Laugavegur 1. She has received
quite positive art critique with her mystical ideas and deep meaning in her
work.
Steinunn Einarsdóttir works in ink,
watercolor, oil as well as pastel. Steinunn has held five private exhibitions
and taken part in three group exhibitions since she moved back from Australia.
Steinunn gets her energy and imagination from nature and its magnificent color
play.
Þrándur
Arnþórsson |
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24. December 2004
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
Every kid knows that the REAL Santa has the following address:
Santa Claus
North Pole
Iceland
Knowing where Santa lives
is a KID thing and a SUPERNATURAL thing as well. Just ask any kid from 2-10
years old and they will tell you the exact same address. It's got nothing to do
with the actual physical location of the North Pole. The North Pole where Santa
lives is definitely right here in Iceland.
Santa Claus is one of 13 brothers that are called
"Jólasveinar" (e: Yule lads). The brothers have a cruel old and ugly mother
called "Grýla" and the wimp troll "Leppalúði" as their father.
Grýla and Leppalúði
We have often spotted the lads on our travels on
the ice-caps but they seem to be hard to photograph. Hopefully that will change
in the coming years...
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
and Þrándur Arnþórsson |
|
21. October 2004
It rained a lot in September and I felt like I was
drowning. But the nature looks pretty in the rain. Master Kjarval knew well the
difference in colors that the moss shows in the weather and seasons. It’s like
being one of Kjarval´s tones of color in the nature when we lay on the ground on
a sunny autumn day. While we lay in the moss yellow, orange and red leaves fall
to the earth. One of them fell on my nose and I thought that it belonged there.
I took the leaf and put it in a book and dried it. Then it can be given life
again in a beautiful work of art, colors and nature.
Álfheiður
Ólafsdóttir |
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14. October 2004
Two new artist are now up at the
Icelandic Art Wall.
Jóhann G. Jóhannson
started his art-carrier in popular music bands and is one of the best composer
in that area. Early on in his carrier he began expressing himself in music and
art equally.
Sigrún Lára Shanko
has worked with silk painting since 1995. From the very
beginning her aim has been to perfect her own unique style.
Þrándur
Arnþórsson |
|
12. October 2004
The autumn is like a warm carpet that spreads over
me while I am trying to get out of bed but its so soft and cozy that I just want
to turn on the side and continue to sleep. It doesn’t have to be because we are
lazy that we don't want to wake up. Maybe our bodies are telling us to relax
when it’s getting cold and dark. It's not considered healthy enough to sleep
late and wait for the spring to return. Isn’t the only way to go to the gym and
work out so the sleepiness will wear off? I try to but it’s hard.
Álfheiður
Ólafsdóttir |
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24. August 2004
Finally, finally! I have dreamt of tenting outdoors
in the nature and paint oil paintings like many of the old artists did for a
long time. It’s not often possible here in Iceland. But in the past it was quite
common that artists painted outside. Probably the demands are so high today that
we think it’s not possible to lie outside unless we have a jeep and a
tent-trailer. But the weather here in August was so amazing that I couldn’t
resist. I dug up a ball tent from the year 1987. It was bought in Germany, when
me and my husband were getting to know each other. I also had another tent
that’s even smaller and older which I used as a playing-tent for my daughter and
my niece who were traveling with me. We hit the road and found ourselves a
tenting area down by the riverside.
There my mountain, Þríhyrningur, can be seen
well in its whole glory. I used the day time to paint then we went to fun trips
when we needed to rest from the painting. The playing tent was filled with Bratz
and some fun stuff. But the ball tent was used to sleep in.
We also went to fun “ghost trips” in the evenings. When the morning fog lies
over like ghastly mist. Then it’s not a bad idea to examine deserted farms. The
girls got me to these evening adventures. I think I got more scared than they
did, even though I didn’t admit it. One time I had to leave the car to open and
close the gate. Then my daughter says to me: Mom doesn’t let the ghost with you
into the car. No, I won’t do that! When I had just closed the car door, she said
she saw a black shadow running from the car and into the deserted farm.
OOOOOOOOOOO I couldn’t get to sleep in the evening.
The next morning it was still fogy. I kept checking if it would go away. First
the fog was up to the tent, then it moved further and further away. Finally I
could see Þríhyrningur and then I started painting the mountain as it moved out
of the mist. It is a unique thing to witness. First it ripped of the left corner
and little by little I could see it all. Then the Tindfjöll appeared and finally
Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull.
I learned a lot in this trip, the colors in the paintings became different and
it’s fun to witness all this yourself rather than just go there for a few
minutes and take photos. That sure doesn’t give the same result.
I encourage everyone to follow their dreams. In this case my dream became real.
What’s better, the reality was more real than the dreams.
_________________________________________
In Iceland ghosts and other mythical creatures are a part of us. We are raised
hearing stories of supernatural beings like elves and invisible people. They
appear in many places in art and culture. It is fun to find where we started and
feel the power from the earth. I felt power from Þríhyrningur when I painted
it’s spirit. I felt as a part of it and it came to me. Like the bowels of the
earth were talking to me. My father died in 1993 and he was raised in Fljótshlíð.
I think that Þríhyrningur reminds me of him. They were similar characters,
silent, strong and mystical, but humorous too. I think my mountain is happy to
hide in the fog and then suddenly appear, beautiful and magnificent.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir |
|
4. July 2004
The Blue Lagoon is a popular place to spend the day
in Iceland. Swimming and enjoying the hot water has always been popular here.
We regularly take the day off and go to the
Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
Þrándur
Arnþórsson |
|
30. May 2004
Everyone owns their mountain. Here in Iceland are a
lot of mountains and Icelanders are born with their own special view of it.
I was talking
with my friend; she was raised to the west of Mt. Þríhyrningur. “I love this
side of my mountain, from this side it is a real mountain“, she said. "No, its
not right, Þríhyrningur is great from south", I said.
Going around each mountain it will change shapes.
Each direction can be very different. My mountain is Þríhyrningur in Fljótshlíð.
This summer I am going to travel around Þríhyrningur and paint it from all
sides. It will be fun to see it from various directions.
So, it’s will be a great expedition
to paint and call it: My mountain!
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir |
|
20. May 2004
A new artist is now on the Art Wall!
Sigurður Örlygsson
is a well known Icelandic painter. He is a painter of composition and form.
Constantly making experiments with objects of our modern culture.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir |
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7. May 2004
The Art-Iceland.com web site is getting more
popular. According to Alexa, it is now ranked among the top 1% of the
most popular sites on the whole Internet.
Five artists are already portrayed on the site and
more are coming. A shopping
basket is in the makings. That means that the shopping experience will be better
and taking orders more secure.
Þrándur Arnþórsson |
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2. May 2004
I love the springtime. In the winter
time the earth is sleeping and the people are also sleeping. But in the spring
the earth is awaking and the lambs are born. Sometime the springtime is cold and
windy and another day it is warm and the sun is shining. Life is sometimes easy
with the sun shining and we smile and sometimes it’s raining and we are crying.
 But if life goes on with the sun
shining every day, would it not be a rather boring live?
So, please: Don’t worry, be
happy. Don’t worry, be happy!
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir |
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22. April 2004
I am visiting my sister’s family
along with my husband and daughter. She lives in Álftanes. This is the first day
of summer. The weather is still and the sun is shining. Birds are sailing on the
sea and I hear them “talking” to each other. Suddenly a woman and her husband on
a canoe sail around the birds. Everyone is smiling and playing because the
summer is coming. The sun spreads a pink carpet over the see.
It is so lovely and I say to my
sister: “If I were you and would live here I would never go to sleep. I would be
outside and look over the see. And at last go inside and paint it all.”
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir |
|
22. April 2004
I go with my husband and daughter to our summerhouse. It is a small hut we are rebuilding.
My husband, Thrandur is tearing down an old shack and I am clearing out the old fence.
We make a big fire of the material and continue our work.
Suddenly our daughter screams “The fire is spreading around”. The dry grass has caught fire. I am very scared; it is so close to the house. I run after a bucket and fill it up with water from the well. We jump on the fire and pour water on it. Thrandur uses a shovel to slam it down. The fire is greedy and angry he wants to come close to the house to have more to eat and to grow faster. But finally we are stronger than the fire and at last it gives up the fight.
After that I am thinking about the greed and the anger in people. Sometimes we are like the fire. We are greedy for money and we want more and more.
Quit being greedy and angry!
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir |
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17. April 2004
Have you gone to gather berries? If you have then you know
the feeling afterwards. When you go to sleep, you can see a lot of berries in
your minds eye. It is very difficult to go to sleep because your mind is full
of berries.
The same feeling is over me now. Last weekend I was in the
country, I was milking 30 cows and they were very curious. They came near me and
their nose was close to my nose. I could feel the warm breath and smell from
their mouth. I like them, they are lovely. But when I go to sleep I don’t see
anything but noses of the cows.
This is fun to think about. It would be fun to paint a
picture of the heads of the cows and their big noses.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir |
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