a memory of the view I saw looking to the north west while living five-weeks solo on an island off the coast of Iceland, painted November 18, 2024, 7 x 5" (w x h), using only Schmincke Horadam Payne's Gray Bluish, Cobalt Turquoise, Olive Green Yellowish watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, and wax resist on 140 lbs. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100% cotton extra white watercolor paper.
$150 + shipping / SOLD
Schmincke Creative Contest Entry
Schmincke Watercolor Creative Contest
Sized proportionally at 12 x 5 (w x h).
Norður Akstur á Strandir /
North to Strandir
English:
Driving on the way to the remote eastern West Fjords, in Iceland, a memory stays from a photo I took July 7, 2009. I painted this in October and November in 2020. 17" x 13" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam, and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness and permanence, masking fluid, and Uniball waterproof fade proof ink on 140 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
leiðinni til afskekktra austurhluta Vestfjarða er þetta minning úr mynd
sem ég tók 7. júlí 2009. Ég málaði þetta í október og nóvember 2020. 17
"x 13" (b x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam og WinsFabriano eða
& Newton vatnslitir, maska fljótandi og vatnsheldur blek. 140 pund.
Fabriano Artistico kaldpressaður grófur 100% bómull extra hvítur
vatnslitapappír. Innrammað, 120,000 ISK
Comment via Facebook by Bathsheba Przygocki:
Modern roads are so ugly, but you have made this one into a shape that sets off and anchors the sky shape, the cloud shapes, and the land mass shapes. The white line boldly guides the viewer's eye into the scene. Funny that the little yellow guideposts keep the viewer on track to follow the road. I don't know whether I am staying on the road because I am complying with the driving rules the guideposts suggest about staying on track or because they are actually causing my eyes to stay on track in some artistic way. They cause me to question how brainwashed I am in our society that I don't know my own mind. It's the same dilemma about how to pass people who are walking towards you on the sidewalk, do you stay to the right-hand side because that is the rule of the road or is it a natural choice. I wonder whether British people pass each other on the left side because they drive on the left. Nice that you haven't mixed the colors overly.
in the southwestern West Fjords, Iceland
on August 8, 2006, painted November 9, 2020
15.5" x 13.25" (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, $750
Artist's Note: Puffins, with their distinctive bills, almost become trite, so my focus was in painting a more graphic and design view, with motion for the eye, of this bird species that I've photographed and lived with for over a quarter of a century.
Two Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica)
high on a cliff in Látrabjarg, West Fjords, Iceland
August 8, 2006, painted November 9, 2020
13" x 15.5" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Prismacolor waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $750
Icelandic Watercolor Society
Annual Show Opening
The annual opening of the seventh annual
Icelandic Watercolor Society /
Félagsmenn í Vatnslitafélagi Íslands
juried show, this year titled, Tilbrigði / Variations,
was Saturday, October 18th, 2025 at 2:00 to 5:00 pm.
featuring sixty-one works by fifty artists.
It's on exhibit until Sunday, November 30th.
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It's in Reykjavik near the Kjarvalsstaðir Museum
at the gallery wing of the distinctive
two towers church, Háteigskirkja.
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The gallery wing, Gallerí Göngur.
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The watercolor at the entrance to the exhibition
is by Öbba - Aðalbjörga Þórðardóttir.
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My entry is Vestfirðir í þremur litum /
West Fjords in Three Colors.
It was painted using only three
Schmincke Horadam colors,
see more details on my website elsewhere HERE.
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Derek Mundell, our President
of the Icelandic Watercolor Society /
Félagsmenn í Vatnslitafélagi Íslands
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It was a well attended opening...
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...with our art on display.
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I was pleased to discover my watercolor
featured on the back page of the four page
show's brochure.
in the remote eastern West Fjords, Iceland
on July 8, 2009, painted November 12-13, 2020
17.5" x 13.25" (w x h), Daniel Smith, Schmincke Horadam,
and Winsor & Newton watercolors, selected for light fastness
and permanence, and Prismacolor waterproof fade proof ink
on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold press rough 100%
cotton extra white watercolor paper
framed, $750
English and Icelandic
Ensku og Íslensku
-------------------------------------------
Reykjavik Watercolor Exhibition /
Vatnslitasýning Reykjavíkur
Reykjavik and Beyond /
Reykjavík og Víðar
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.
Þessi vatnslitamynd er happdrættisvinningur fyrir þá sem mæta án endurgjalds á opnunarmóttöku sýningarinnar. Ekki er nauðsynlegt að mæta klukkan 16:00 fyrir drátt heldur geta einungis þátttakendur tekið þátt í happdrættinu/drættinu. Vinningshafinn í lottóinu fær þetta málverk ókeypis.
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.
Óskar Thorarensen, Reykvíkingur, er vatnslitamálari byggingarlistar, aðallega í Reykjavík, en laðast einnig að byggingarlistinni í smábæjum landsins. Hann er lögfræðingur í Reykjavík sem einnig málar.
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.
Bruce McMillan, ættaður frá Nýja Englandi í Bandaríkjunum, hefur komið til Íslands í tæp 30 ár. Hann er farsæll bandarískur rithöfundur og ljósmyndari 46 barnabóka auk 4 fyrir fullorðna og hann málar einnig. Sjö af margverðlaunuðum barnabókum hans voru ljósmyndir hér á landi eða gerast á Íslandi.
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.
Fyrir mörgum árum hittust Óskar og Bruce að tillögu íslensku listmálarans Gunnellu. Hún vissi af ástríðu þeirra fyrir vatnslitamálun. Þau hafa málað saman í Bandaríkjunum í kringum Maine, á David Dewey vatnslitaverkstæðinu í Maine og auðvitað á Íslandi. Þeir eru báðir félagar í Vatnslitafélagi Íslands.
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.
Lauslegar vatnslitamyndir Óskars af borgarlífinu, Reykjavík, þar sem hann býr, gefa honum sjónarhorn til að mála það sem hann kann vel. Sveitarrannsóknir Bruce endurspegla þakklæti hans fyrir íslenska náttúru og landslag, eftir að hafa búið einn á eyju á Breiðafirði í fimm vikur, auk þess að kanna afskekkt hálendi og sveitir Íslands með nánum íslenskum vinum í 29 ár.
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.
Um Óskar:
Óskar Thorarensen frá Reykjavík hefur málað í vatnslitum síðan 1994. Hann lærði fyrst hjá Gunnlaugi Stefáni Gíslasyni og sótti síðar vinnustofur erlendis hjá David Dewey frá Bandaríkjunum; Joseph Zbukvic og David Taylor frá Ástralíu og Alvaro Castagnet frá Úrúgvæ. Hann hefur haldið sýningar í Reykjavík og í Portland, Maine. Verk hans eru nú til sýnis í Gallerí Fold, Galleríinu, bæði í Reykjavík og í Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery í Portland Maine. Óskar er hdl. Hann er félagi í Vatnslitafélagi Íslands. Hann er kvæntur Þóreyju Maren Sigurðardóttur og eiga þau þrjár dætur.
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."
Um Bruce:
Bruce McMillan frá Shapleigh, Maine, eftir feril sem ljósmyndateiknari, þróaðist yfir í vatnslitamyndir, frá og með 2012. Hann stundaði listnám við háskólann í Maine. Hann hefur tekið vatnslitanámskeið hjá Susan Abbott á Bahamaeyjum og Vermont (bæði 2015), David Dewey í Maine (2014, 2015, 2017) og annað hjá Dewitt Hardy í Maine (2014). Verk hans eru í einkasöfnum í Bandaríkjunum, Kanada, Íslandi, Hong Kong og Sviss. Vatnslitamyndir hans af ólympískri krullu voru forsíðan í tveggja blaðsíðna þætti Arts Maine Sunday Telegram. Á vetrarólympíuleikunum 2018 var honum falið að mála fyrir bandaríska gullverðlaunaliðið í krullu. Hann er undirskriftarmeðlimur í Vermont vatnslitafélaginu (VWS), meðlimur í Íslenska vatnslitafélaginu. Sonur hans og tveir barnabörn búa í Sviss. Rödd átta ára barnabarns hans þáverandi útivistarmálara er alltaf í huga: "Þetta er málverk; þú getur allt."
Óskar's Watercolors (below) of various sizes feature mostly Reykjavik, a few of small towns and their architecture, prices listed at the show.
Vatnslitamyndir Óskars (að neðan) af ýmsum stærðum sýna aðallega Reykjavík, nokkra smábæi og byggingarlist þeirra; Verðskrá Óskars er til sýnis á sýningunni.
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10
Síldarhátíð Siglufjarðar / Siglufjörður Herring Festival
120,000 ISK / $900 USD
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Réttir / Roundup
160,000 ISK / $1,200 USD
You may print the Exhibition poster with this full size image of it, plus the two announcements below.
Þú getur prentað veggspjaldið með þessari mynd í fullri stærð ásamt tveimur tilkynningum hér að neðan.
