Reykjavik Watercolor Exhibition

Reykjavik Watercolor Exhibition /
Vatnslitasýning Reykjavíkur

Reykjavik and Beyond /
Reykjavík og Víðar

Watercolors featuring the art of Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan

May 28 - June 22, 2022
Ófeigur
Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík
354-551 1161

(On the left side next to Mokka-Kaffi on the art street leading up the church spire of Hallgrímskirkja) / (Við hliðina á Cafe Mokka, til vinstri, við upphaf listagötunnar sem liggur upp í Hallgrímskirkju)

Mokka-Kaffi's website HERE.

Opening Reception
Saturday May 28th
2:00 4:00 pm

Wine served / Vín borið fram

Opnunarmóttaka
Laugardaginn 28. maí
14:00 16:00

Come to the opening reception and you have a chance to go home with this free watercolor painting.

Týndur á hálendinu / Lost in the Highlands, 5" x 7", Bruce McMillan, will be given away at the exhibition's opening reception to the winner of a free to enter raffle/drawing for those who attend. You don't need be there at 4:00 pm for the drawing, but only attendees can enter the raffle/drawing. Someone's getting this free painting.

Watercolor Artists Óskar and Bruce

Óskar Thorarensen, a native of Reykjavik, is a watercolor painter of architecture, mostly in Reykjavik, but also drawn to the architecture in Iceland's small towns. He's a Reykjavik lawyer who also paints.

Bruce McMillan, a native of New England in the US, has been coming to Iceland for almost 30 years. He's a successful US author and photographer of 46 children's books plus 4 for adults, and he also paints. Seven of his award-winning children's books were photographed in or set in Iceland.

Óskar and Bruce met years ago at the suggestion of Icelandic painter Gunnella, who knew their passion for watercolor painting. They've painted together in the US around Maine, at a David Dewey watercolor workshop in Maine, and of course Iceland. They are both members of Vatnslitafélag Íslands, The Icelandic Watercolor Society.

Óskar's loose watercolor impressions of city life, Reykjavik, the place where he lives, give him the perspective to paint what he knows well. Bruce's rural explorations reflect his appreciation of the Icelandic nature and landscape, having lived solo on an island in Breiðafjörður for five weeks, as well as exploring the remote highlands, and around rural Iceland with close Icelandic friends for 29 years.

About Óskar:
Óskar Thorarensen of Reykjavik, Iceland has been painting in watercolors since 1994. He first studied with Gunnlaugur Stefan Gislason and later attended workshops abroad with David Dewey from the US; Joseph Zbukvic and David Taylor of Australia and Alvaro Castagnet of Uruguay. He has held exhibitions in Reykjavik and in Portland, Maine. His works are currently on display in Gallerí Fold, Galleríið, both in Reykjavik and in Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery in Portland Maine. Óskar is an attorney. He is a member of the Watercolor Society of Iceland. He is married to Þórey Maren Sigurdardottir and they have three daughters.

About Bruce:
Bruce McMillan of Shapleigh, Maine, after a career as a photo-illustrator, evolved to watercolors, beginning in 2012. He minored in art at the University of Maine. He's taken watercolor workshops with Susan Abbott in the Bahamas and Vermont (both 2015), David Dewey in Maine (2014, 2015, 2017), and another with Dewitt Hardy in Maine (2014). His works are in private collections in the US, Canada, Iceland, Hong Kong and Switzerland. His watercolors of Olympic curling were the cover in a two-page Arts Maine Sunday Telegram feature. During the 2018 Winter Olympics he was commissioned to paint for the US Gold Medal Curling Team. He's a Signature Member of the Vermont Watercolor Society (VWS), a member of the Icelandic Watercolor Society. His son and two grandsons live in Switzerland. The voice of his then plein air painter eight-year-old grandson is always in mind, "It's a painting; you can do anything."

Óskar's Watercolors (below) of various sizes feature mostly Reykjavik, a few of small towns and their architecture, prices listed at the show.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Bruce's watercolors take you to highlands, to the offshore island and the rural areas of Iceland in between.

1
1.432 Metrar hjá Loðmundi / 1,432 Meters of Loðmundur
160,000 ISK / $1,200 USD

2
Snæfell frá hálendinu / Snæfell from the Highlands
160,000 ISK / $1,200 USD

3
Bjarneyjar Fjögur / The Bjarneyjar Four
160,000 ISK / $1,200 USD

4
Norðvestur frá Snæfelli / Northwest from Snæfell
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

5
Eyja Sauðfé Borða /Island Sheep Eat
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

6
Herðubreið í Skýjunum / Herðubreið in the Clouds
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

7
Stormasöm hálendisform / Storm Shaped Highlands
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

8
Snæfell frá Fljótsdal / Snæfell from Fljótsdalur
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

9
Stóri Dímon frá Syðsta-Mörk / Stóri Dímon from Syðsta-Mörk
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

10
Síldarhátíð Siglufjarðar / Siglufjörður Herring Festival
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

11
Réttir / Roundup
160,000 ISK / $1,200 USD

12
Fossinn Dynjandi Rennur Fyrir Neðan / Cascading Dynjandi to Below
160,000 ISK / $1,200 USD

13
1.510 metrar af Viti í Askja / 1,510 meters of Viti in Askja
160,000 ISK / $1,200 USD

14
Norður Akstur á Strandir / North to Strandir
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

15
Sumar á hálendinu / Summer in the Highlands
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

16
Æðarfuglaflug yfir Breiðafjörð / Eider Flight Over Breiðafjörður
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

17
Stórhöfði Kind / Stórhöfði Sheep
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

18
Gletta folald / Gletta the Foal
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

19
Flétta á Torfey á Breiðafirði númer 2 / Lichen on Torfey in Breiðafjörður Study 2
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

20
Baulárvallavatn á Snæfellsnesi / Baulárvallavatn in Snæfellsnes
120,000 ISK / $900 USD

21
Forvitnilegt par, Hestur Þarna / Curious Pair, Hestur There
Bruce McMillan, 11" x 14" (w x h), 2022, matted, 95,000 ISK / 700 USD

22
Frá Breiðafirði að Snæfellsjökli / From Breiðafjörður to Snæfellsjökull
Bruce McMillan, 11" x 14" (w x h), 2022, matted, 95,000 ISK / 700 USD

23
Loðmundur hár / Loðmundur High
Bruce McMillan, 11" x 14" (w x h), 2022, matted, 95,000 ISK / 700 USD

24
Eyjan Dúnsafnarinn / The Island Down Collector
Bruce McMillan, 11" x 14" (w x h), 2022, matted, 95,000 ISK / 700 USD

And 18 more smaller works by Bruce.

You may print the Exhibition poster with this full size image of it, plus the two announcements below.

 

The Air Goes Where?

The Air Goes Where?

At 32,000 feet as seen from the from the front of an Icelandair flight from Boston to Keflavik on May 22, 2022, painted May 23, 2022, 7" x 5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed
$150

 

Eider Flight Over Breiðafjörður

Æðarfuglaflug yfir Breiðafjörð /
Eider Flight Over Breiðafjörður

Íslenskur:
Þessir fljúgandi æðarfuglar voru nágrannar mínir á fimm vikna sólódvöl minni í Bjarneyjum á Breiðafirði. Það var varptími æðarfugls. Viðmiðunarmyndin mín var tekin 18. júní 2005, máluð maí 2022. 17 "x 13" (b x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og Winsor & Newton vatnslitir og vatnsheldur blek. 300 pund. Fabriano Artistico kaldpressaður grófur 100% bómull extra hvítur vatnslitapappír, innrammaður, 120,000 ISK

English:
These flying-by eider ducks were my neighbors during my five-week solo stay on the Bjarneyjar isles in Breiðafjörður. It was courting and nesting season. My reference photo was taken on June 18, 2005, painted May 2022. 17"x 13" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and waterproof fade-proof ink on 300 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed, $900 USD

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Summer in the Highlands

Sumar á hálendinu /
Summer in the Highlands

English:
This painting shows a part of the Kerlingarfjöll mountain range in Iceland, seen on July 4, 2015. I took a reference photo and first sketched this scene in September 2015, 7" x5" (w x h). That small sketch was accepted for Ogunquit Maine's Barn Gallery Regional Artists, Open Juried Show in 2016, juried by Kristina L. Durocher, Director, Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire. See the original and the exhibition HERE.

In May 2022 I returned to my sketch and based on that painted this 17" x 13" (w x h) watercolor using Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 300 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper. Framed. $900 USD

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Íslenskur:
Þetta málverk sýnir hluta af Kerlingarfjöllum á Íslandi, séð 4. júlí 2015. Ég tók viðmiðunarmynd og skissaði þetta atriði fyrst í september 2015, 7 "x5" (b x h). Þessi litla skissa var samþykkt fyrir Ogunquit Maine's Barn Gallery Regional Artists, Open Juried Show árið 2016, dómnefnd af Kristinu L. Durocher, forstöðumanni, Museum of Art, University of New Hampshire. (HÉR)

Maí 2022 fór ég aftur í skissuna mína og út frá því málaði ég þennan 17 "x 13" (b x h) vatnslit með Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og Winsor & Newton vatnslitunum og Uniball vatnsheldu bleki. 300 pund. Fabriano Artistico kaldpressaður grófur 100% bómull extra hvítur vatnslitapappír. Innrammað. 120,000 ISK

Réttir / Roundup

Réttir / Roundup

English:
In 1997 Scholastic, NY, published my annual fall sheep roundup book, my réttir book, My Horse of the North, photographed in Skagafjörður. I've photographed seven children's books in Iceland for US publication. This reference photo was taken at a réttir by the lake, Mývatn, on September 4, 2011. It was painted in 2022. 17" x 13" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Prismacolor waterproof fade proof archival ink on 300 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper. Framed, $1,200 USD

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Íslenskur:
Árið 1997 gaf Scholastic, NY út barnabókina mína, My Horse of the North, ljósmyndir í Skagafirði. Ég hef framleitt sjö barnabækur á Íslandi til útgáfu í Bandaríkjunum. Þessi tilvísunarmynd var tekin við sauðfjársöfnun á strönd Mývatns 4. september 2011. Hún var máluð árið 2022. 17 "x 13" (b x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og Winsor & Newton vatnslitamyndir og Prismacolor vatnsheldur blek á 300 pundum af kaldpressuðum Fabriano Artistico grófum 100% bómull extra hvítum vatnslitapappír. Innrammað. 160,000 ISK

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Siglufjörður Herring Festival

 

Síldarhátíð Siglufjarðar /
Siglufjörður Herring Festival

Ink sketch to start...

English:
I've snapped many reference photos during many Herring Festivals in Siglufjörður, grand times, this photo on August 5, 2012. I painted from it in May 2022. 17" x 13" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 300 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed, $900

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Íslenskur:
Ég hef tekið margar heimildarmyndir á mörgum síldarhátíðum á Siglufirði, ágætur staður. Þessi mynd var tekin 5. ágúst 2012. Ég málaði dömurnar í maí 2022. 17 "x 13" (b x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og Winsor & Newton vatnslitamyndir og Uniball vatnsheldur blek á 300 lbs. Fabriano Artistico kaldpressa gróf 100% bómull extra hvítur vatnslitapappír, innrammaður, 120,000 ISK

Stóri Dímon from Syðsta-Mörk

Stóri Dímon frá Syðsta-Mörk /
Stóri Dímon from Syðsta-Mörk

English:
Stóri Dímon on the south coast is iconic, not only for standing alone in a flat river valley, but also as the inspiration for a soft blue cheese named after it. I saw this view in this farming valley, farm fields in the foreground, on the evening of August 4, 2018, and snapped my reference photo. I painted it in May 2022. 17" x 13" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 300 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed. $900 USD

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Íslenskur: Stóri Dímon á suðurströndinni er táknrænn, ekki bara fyrir að standa einn í sléttum árdal heldur einnig sem innblástur fyrir mjúkan gráðostinn sem er kenndur við hann. Ég sá þetta útsýni að kvöldi 4. ágúst 2018 og tók viðmiðunarmyndina mína. Ég málaði það í maí 2022. 17 "x 13" (b x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og Winsor & Newton vatnslitamyndir og Uniball vatnsheldur blek, 300 lbs. Fabriano Artistico kaldpressaður grófur 100% bómull extra hvítur vatnslitapappír, innrammaður. 120,000 ISK

 

Northwest from Snæfell

Norðvestur frá Snæfelli /
Northwest from Snæfell

English:
While fishing in July 2005, I caught and cooked two big trout by the stream with this view in the distance. Took a photo that became my reference photo to paint in May 2022. 17"x 13" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and waterproof fade-proof ink on 300 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper, framed, $900 USD

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Íslenskur:
Á veiðum í júlí 2005 veiddi ég og eldaði tvo stóra urriða við lækinn með þetta útsýni í fjarska. Ég tók mynd sem varð viðmiðunarmynd mín til að mála í maí 2022. 17 "x 13" (b x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og Winsor & Newton vatnslitamyndir og vatnsheldur blek á 300 lbs. Fabriano Artistico kaldpressaður grófur 100% bómull extra hvítur vatnslitapappír, innrammaður, 120,000 ISK

 

Snæfell from the Highlands

Snæfell frá hálendinu /
Snæfell from the Highlands

English: Based on my photo in the desert highlands of Iceland in August 2010, painted in August, 2021, 17" x 23" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and graphite on 140 lb. Arches cold press rough 100% cotton watercolor paper, framed, $1,200 USD

For sale at the forthcoming watercolor show with Óskar Thorarensen and Bruce McMillan, Reykjavík og Víðar / Reykjavik and Beyond, May 28 - June 22, 2022, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. After that Bruce McMillan's watercolors online here if still available.

Íslenskur: Byggt á málverki mínu á eyðimörkinni hálendi Íslands í ágúst 2010, málað í ágúst 2021, 17 "x 23" (b x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og Winsor & Newton vatnslitamyndir og grafít. á 140 punda pappír. Arches cold press gróft 100% bómull vatnslitapappír, innrammað, 160,000 ISK