Iceland: Through an Artist's Eyes part 4 Rainy Day Adventures

'In Search of Adventure'               8x10            pastel         Iceland Summer 2014  ©Karen Margulis  
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Even the rain didn't stop us from searching for adventure.  The third day of our Iceland painting workshop/expedition came and we woke to a steady rain.  We had been spoiled by the sunny warm days. I was prepared for the rain...both mentally and with rain boots and a waterproof jacket. Bring on the rain. I like moody weather!

I'm not one to sit still for long so I eagerly joined the group on a drive. We threw in our painting gear just in case. Our destination was to be a town called Holmavik in Western Iceland. It has a population of 375 and is known for the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery & Witchcraft. An interesting stop for a gray dreary day.

We never made it to Holmavik.  It was one of those trips that didn't go as planned but will always result in a good story such as "Remember the day we went for a drive in the rain and ended up on a bumpy, muddy dirt road that was close to being a dreaded F road (as in very bad) that we called the Never Ending Chiropractic Express?!!"  The going was so wet and rough that after about 3 hours with drivers Stan and Cory and passengers road weary and sore, we called it off.

Hang on kids we're going for a ride!!

Just a little dirty

We needed food and bathrooms and luckily found the only place for many many miles. That will also be a story to remember..."Remember that restaurant that only served hamburgers and fries or lamb soup and garlic bread? "  It was the oddest little place. The poor guy running the place had to call in reinforcements and soon his wife and child joined him in the kitchen. Ahh, but the soup was warm and delicious and another memory was made. And despite the rain we managed to discover a special kind of raw beauty in the grayness of the Icelandic landscape.

Somewhere in Iceland...in the middle of nowhere

all the necessities

A few examples of the rugged and raw beauty that is Iceland on a rainy day

The last day in Stykkisholmur we woke up to more rain. Determined to have a painting day we all loaded our gear and ever hopeful, our picnic supplies, into the vans for a drive to the other side of the Snaefellsness Peninsula. I continued to take by drive by photos through a rain spattered window. Our first stop was Budir Church. It is a simple church painted black and sits on a lava field overlooking the sea. We couldn't see anything but the church through the mist. But it wasn't raining! So Stan set up for a demo and we got to paint for about an hour until the fog got too dense.  I was happy to have good clothes for the weather!

A simple church by the sea

Our determination to paint paid off in the afternoon. After a drive over a densely foggy mountain pass we arrived at the most perfect plein air painting spot in the world. Yes it does keep getting better! The sun made an appearance and after a stop for our picnic lunch we set up to paint.  This spot had it all and I was torn between painting it or photographing it. I did both.

Now that's what I call dense fog!

Picnic by the sea

Imagine a sheltered spot with an inlet and a rocky shore on one side and soft green grass covered dunes on the other....with paths leading to a black sand beach. To one side is a view of the massive white glacier called Snaefellsjokull. To the right is another area of snow covered mountains with rolling green meadows. A couple of horseback riders made an appearance to make it perfect. Behind is another imposing cliff leading to the sea. And the sky...ever-changing and awe-inspiring.

A few photographs from the afternoon's painting location

 It turned out to be the perfect day. And once again I went to sleep pinching myself. It was hard to believe this was really happening.

Goodnight Iceland!

Did you miss part one? You can read it here.  You can read part 2 here.  Read Part 3 here.

Iceland: Through an Artist's Eyes part 5 Journey around the Golden Circle

'Journey to the Golden Circle'          12x24          pastel      ©Karen Margulis   Iceland Summer 2014
painting available for purchase $325

It was a well rounded workshop/expedition to Iceland. We had painting days mixed with touring days. I was very much looking forward to Stan's tour of the Golden Circle. We spent a full day of sightseeing and I'm sure the tour rivaled any of the many tours that are offered of the Golden Circle. Along with the Blue Lagoon, touring the Golden Circle is just one of those things that any visitor to Iceland should put on their list of things to do.

In case you just started reading this travelog I went to Iceland as a part of Stan Sperlak's Painter's Passport program. This trip was an art workshop/expedition. Artists and adventurers from all over the world came together to explore and create art together. Most of us were pastelists but we also had a photographer in our group. On our touring days we could bring our supplies for a quick painting or sketch or just take photos and experience the landscape. I chose to experience the Golden Circle with my camera.

The Golden Circle is the name given to the collection of three of Iceland's best known historical sites and natural phenomena. They happen to be located fairly close together and a short drive from the capital Reykjavik. We had a longer drive from our home base of Stykkisholmur but any drive across the countryside of Iceland is filled with beautiful scenery. (today's painting was inspired by a photo I took on our drive to the Golden Circle area)

We took the long scenic route

Beautiful lush country

Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park. This area has both historical and geological importance. It was the site where the Vikings established their democratic parliament in 930 AD. It is also another place where you can see the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This division of the earth's tectonic plates creates beautiful scenery. I was especially drawn to the many wildflowers that graced the walking paths in the park.

Wildflowers along the Mid Atlantic Ridge

Interesting green flowers in the foreground

Love the color of this door

Check out the round stones on the gate posts

Such a tranquil setting

The second stop on the tour was the geothermal area of Geysir. This is an area filled with steaming earth, bubbling pools of boiling water and of course Geysers. We get our word Geyser from the Icelandic word. The highlight of this interesting spot were the geysers themselves. One of them erupted quite regularly. It went off about every five minutes while we were there. It seemed to spout off a really big one followed by some lesser eruptions. I enjoyed watching the tourists watch the geyser through their phones or cameras. That was quite entertaining...and a few people were in the wrong place and got soaked.

A few photos of the Geysir area. Loved watching the people!

The last site on our tour of the Golden Circle was the most spectacular. It was a breathtaking waterfall with two huge cascades called Gullfoss. (Golden Waterfall)  This waterfall was spectacular and so powerful. There was a trail that went close to the edge of the lower falls and the ground shook with the power. I can still feel the  mist and hear the deafening roar of the falls. It is said that a rainbow is visible on sunny days. It wasn't sunny (but it wasn't raining either!).

A few photos from Gullfoss

After a full day of wonderful sights we returned to the Red and Gray houses in Stykkisholmur. The hot tub was calling and another fantastic day in Iceland came to a close.

On our way home we took the shortcut through the tunnel 

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Iceland: Through the Eye's of an Artist part 6 Puffins and Viking Sushi

'A Gift from Iceland'            10x10         pastel         ©Karen Margulis
puffin in the Breidafjordur Bay, Iceland
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It was an evening to remember. My first Puffin and my first taste of Viking sushi. No, I didn't eat the puffin although they are on some menus. Instead I had an up close encounter with puffins and many other arctic birds that I can now check off my life list.  As part of the workshop, Stan treated us to a dinner cruise on the beautiful Breidafjordur Bay. It was one of the many highlights of the trip to Iceland.

Leaving Stykkisholmur

It was a gorgeous summer evening when we made our way down to the harbor in Stykkisholmur. We eagerly boarded the Seatours boat and I took up my position on the bow...camera ready!  As soon as we pulled away from the dock and rounded the bend we were treated to the sight of puffins skimming in the water in front of the boat. It was so hard to know where to look.....the scenery all around was simply breathtaking.

Stan and some of the group enjoying the sunny evening

The Breidafjordur Bay is known for it countless little islands and plentiful birdlife. Our first stop was a small island called Thorisholmur which is a volcanic plug.  The big boat nosed it's way up to the island getting us very close to the cliffs that were filled with many birds. It was a bit challenging to keep balanced on a moving boat and zoom and focus the camera. But I managed to get a few decent pictures.  By the way, the camera I used for this trip is a Canon SX40 which has a zoom comparable to a 500 mm lens so I was able to really zoom in close. I love this camera!

A few photos of the birds on this little island

We also cruised by an interesting island that is mentioned in the Icelandic Folk Tales.  Our captain pointed out an area that was used for hangings.  Kind of spooky!  We also passed a small island with one lone house perched on top. I could imagine staying out here and painting. It would be amazing. In fact I just met an artist online, Bruce McMillan, who was on one of these islands to photograph birds while we were in Iceland. He has written and illlustrated/photographed many books about Iceland that I plan to collect for my granddaughter. I'm sorry we didn't meet but he said to me, "You'll be back". I have to agree with him.

These cliffs made of basalt look like stacks of books. See the hanging place?

A peaceful place in the middle of the bay

Next on the cruise was Sushi Time...better known as Viking Sushi. The captain lowered a shellfish plough and after a short time it was pulled up to release a colorful array of sea life ....beautiful purple sea urchins, starfish, sea cucumbers and scallops....lots of them. The crew began to shuck the scallops and offered them to anyone interested. They served it with sauces and wine. I had two scallops and they were very good. They did put back what we didn't eat.

Enjoying some Viking Sushi fresh from the sea!

At some point in the cruise we came to another little bird island and a puffin was spotted. I had visions of the cliffs being covered with puffins but we actually only saw a few. It made it even more special then to get a good photo. I had my camera ready and by the luck of good timing managed to capture my 'shot of the day' puffin flapping his wings. A wonderful memory!

My shutter clicked at just the right time with pretty good focus considering no tripod and long lens on a moving boat

We made our way back to the dock slowly and we went below deck to enjoy a buffet dinner of fresh seafood. It was the perfect way to end a great day.

I created two boards on Pinterest to share my Iceland paintings, photos and travelog posts. Click here to see the paintings.  Click here to read all of the travelog posts.