At the Rejkavik Opening

At the... May 28, 2022...
Reykjavik and Beyond /
Reykjavík og Víðar

Reykjavik Watercolor Exhibition /
Vatnslitasýning Reykjavíkur
Ófeigur
Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík

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Ófeigur ready...

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Bruce McMillan and Óskar Thorarensen hosting their watercolor show.

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And people arrived, friends, family, professional friends, artists, Icelandic Watercolor society members, strangers, all sorts of people, more than seen in these photos. Twenty-seven signed the guestbook.

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Some friends arrived with well wishes and flowers, like friends Björn Jóhann Björnsson and Edda, known not only for her nursing skills but also her famous fish soup.

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Their flowers were a lovely surprise gift to add to this sunny day.

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It was great to see and visit dear friends, to see them enjoying themselves in this lovely gallery.

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Bruce with dear longtime Icelandic friends (29 and 21 years), Jakobína "Bína" Vilhelmsdóttir and Guðrún "Gunnella" Elín Ólafsdóttir. Bína will surprisingly be an actual winner today, as seen below, and Gunnella with Bruce published the children's books the award winning The Problem with Chickens and How the Ladies Stopped the Wind.

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The youngest attendee, two months old, napped outside in the baby carriage, Bína's youngest of five grandchildren, and the daughter of Bína's daughter, Halla Ósk Ólafsdóttir, who as a little girl was the star in Bruce's children's book, the award winning Nights of the Pufflings / Pysjunætur.

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Halla Ósk Ólafsdóttir and Sigurður "Siggi" Viðar arrived with flowers to celebrate the day, along with their son Freya and their two-months-old baby to be named (above).

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Another young attendee was four-month-old Hugo, of Óskar's family, specifically Óskar and Þórey's daughter, Unnur Ósk Thorarensen.

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Hugo with Unnur Ósk Thorarensen, our official flight attendant wine server and random door prize selector. And her little sister Birta was also a great help.

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Óskar quietly answering questions about his art.

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Bruce sharing information with Svavar Berg about the art, the different styles of  and Óskar  and himself, and the places depicted.

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Óskar (center), his wife, Þórey Maren Sigurðardóttir (seated), with daughters Unna Ósk (left) and Birta (right), with Bruce's friends Edda and  Björn Jóhann. The oldest daughter, Maren Stefánsdóttir, with her husband and their daughter were also present.

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The first painting sold from the show was Bruce's Stórhöfði Kind / Stórhöfði Sheep. And...

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The winner of the free painting drawing, Lost in the Highlands, randomly selected after much mixing of the bowl's entries by Unna Ósk, was someone who drove 1.5 hours to get to the show and had to drive back, and who has traveled to the place depicted in the painting, with Bruce... astonishingly was...

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Jakobína "Bína" Vilhelmsdóttir! What a grand surprise.

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Óskar  and I were thrilled with the turnout and the surprises and seeing so many dear friends.

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The show continues to June 22, 2022, the longest daylight day of the year, Monday - Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm and Saturday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Ófeigur, Skólavörðustígur 5, Reykjavík. Though, with the daylight getting longer and twilight getting shorter, it won't look dark like this outside while the paintings are sleeping inside.

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On June 3, 2022, after their return from traveling abroad, Grandparents Fúsi (Vigfús) and Lolla (Lovisa) met me at the art show with flowers to celebrate the exhibition. The flowers found a home on the guest book table. Fúsi and Lolla are the parents of Margrét, who was the star in my book, My Horse of the North, and she is now the mother of Kári Freyr.