Reynisfjara in southern Iceland is a good 3-hour drive from Hafnaborg Arts and Culture Centre. I visited the beach last year and really wanted to return this time but much later in the day when the daytrippers had left.
According to people that I have met on the route, Iceland has experienced one of its harshest winters, and so this time the snow lay heavy on the ground, creating an organic version of Bridget Riley stripes on the shore.
White snow, black sand, white surf, black sea.
It’s so hard to creatively capture the magnificence and humbling nature of the landscape without it looking feeble. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer power of nature in this place. I did, however, create some performance paintings on the beach, allowing stones and sand to fall at random onto my canvas. I’ve also made extensive notes on colours and textures to refer back to when I return to the studio next week.