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14. August 2005
We have been busy setting up an off-line art gallery at Skolavordustigur 1a. Grand opening will be at the Reykjavik Cultural Night 20th of August 2005.
A new logo means we have to restructure the look of the web site.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir and Þrándur Arnþórsson
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7. January 2005
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Last year has been good and the website is getting more visitors every month. This year will be even better and we will have more great artists joining us.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir and Þrándur Arnþórsson
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27. December 2004
Three new artist are now up at the Icelandic Art Wall.
Ágúst Bjarnason's favorite fields are drawing, copperplate engraving and painting in watercolors but he has been focusing lately on lino-cutting. He also has illustrated books, designed covers and done some storyboard work for the cinema. His main subjects have been Reykjavík and surroundings, people and seamanship.
Kristín Pálmadóttir is running an art studio along with other graphical artists at Laugavegur 1. She has received quite positive art critique with her mystical ideas and deep meaning in her work.
Steinunn Einarsdóttir works in ink, watercolor, oil as well as pastel. Steinunn has held five private exhibitions and taken part in three group exhibitions since she moved back from Australia. Steinunn gets her energy and imagination from nature and its magnificent color play.
Þrándur Arnþórsson
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24. December 2004
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Every kid knows that the REAL Santa has the following address:
Santa Claus
North Pole
Iceland
Knowing where Santa lives is a KID thing and a SUPERNATURAL thing as well. Just ask any kid from 2-10 years old and they will tell you the exact same address. It's got nothing to do with the actual physical location of the North Pole. The North Pole where Santa lives is definitely right here in Iceland.
Santa Claus is one of 13 brothers that are called "Jólasveinar" (e: Yule lads). The brothers have a cruel old and ugly mother called "Grýla" and the wimp troll "Leppalúði" as their father.
Grýla and Leppalúði
We have often spotted the lads on our travels on the ice-caps but they seem to be hard to photograph. Hopefully that will change in the coming years...
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir and Þrándur Arnþórsson
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21. October 2004
It rained a lot in September and I felt like I was drowning. But the nature looks pretty in the rain. Master Kjarval knew well the difference in colors that the moss shows in the weather and seasons. It’s like being one of Kjarval´s tones of color in the nature when we lay on the ground on a sunny autumn day. While we lay in the moss yellow, orange and red leaves fall to the earth. One of them fell on my nose and I thought that it belonged there. I took the leaf and put it in a book and dried it. Then it can be given life again in a beautiful work of art, colors and nature.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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14. October 2004
Two new artist are now up at the Icelandic Art Wall.
Jóhann G. Jóhannson started his art-carrier in popular music bands and is one of the best composer in that area. Early on in his carrier he began expressing himself in music and art equally.
Sigrún Lára Shanko has worked with silk painting since 1995. From the very beginning her aim has been to perfect her own unique style.
Þrándur Arnþórsson
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12. October 2004
The autumn is like a warm carpet that spreads over me while I am trying to get out of bed but its so soft and cozy that I just want to turn on the side and continue to sleep. It doesn’t have to be because we are lazy that we don't want to wake up. Maybe our bodies are telling us to relax when it’s getting cold and dark. It's not considered healthy enough to sleep late and wait for the spring to return. Isn’t the only way to go to the gym and work out so the sleepiness will wear off? I try to but it’s hard.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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24. August 2004
Finally, finally! I have dreamt of tenting outdoors in the nature and paint oil paintings like many of the old artists did for a long time. It’s not often possible here in Iceland. But in the past it was quite common that artists painted outside. Probably the demands are so high today that we think it’s not possible to lie outside unless we have a jeep and a tent-trailer. But the weather here in August was so amazing that I couldn’t resist. I dug up a ball tent from the year 1987. It was bought in Germany, when me and my husband were getting to know each other. I also had another tent that’s even smaller and older which I used as a playing-tent for my daughter and my niece who were traveling with me. We hit the road and found ourselves a tenting area down by the riverside.
There my mountain, Þríhyrningur, can be seen well in its whole glory. I used the day time to paint then we went to fun trips when we needed to rest from the painting. The playing tent was filled with Bratz and some fun stuff. But the ball tent was used to sleep in.
We also went to fun “ghost trips” in the evenings. When the morning fog lies over like ghastly mist. Then it’s not a bad idea to examine deserted farms. The girls got me to these evening adventures. I think I got more scared than they did, even though I didn’t admit it. One time I had to leave the car to open and close the gate. Then my daughter says to me: Mom doesn’t let the ghost with you into the car. No, I won’t do that! When I had just closed the car door, she said she saw a black shadow running from the car and into the deserted farm. OOOOOOOOOOO I couldn’t get to sleep in the evening.
The next morning it was still fogy. I kept checking if it would go away. First the fog was up to the tent, then it moved further and further away. Finally I could see Þríhyrningur and then I started painting the mountain as it moved out of the mist. It is a unique thing to witness. First it ripped of the left corner and little by little I could see it all. Then the Tindfjöll appeared and finally Mýrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull.
I learned a lot in this trip, the colors in the paintings became different and it’s fun to witness all this yourself rather than just go there for a few minutes and take photos. That sure doesn’t give the same result.
I encourage everyone to follow their dreams. In this case my dream became real. What’s better, the reality was more real than the dreams.
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In Iceland ghosts and other mythical creatures are a part of us. We are raised hearing stories of supernatural beings like elves and invisible people. They appear in many places in art and culture. It is fun to find where we started and feel the power from the earth. I felt power from Þríhyrningur when I painted it’s spirit. I felt as a part of it and it came to me. Like the bowels of the earth were talking to me. My father died in 1993 and he was raised in Fljótshlíð. I think that Þríhyrningur reminds me of him. They were similar characters, silent, strong and mystical, but humorous too. I think my mountain is happy to hide in the fog and then suddenly appear, beautiful and magnificent.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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4. July 2004
The Blue Lagoon is a popular place to spend the day in Iceland. Swimming and enjoying the hot water has always been popular here.
We regularly take the day off and go to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
Þrándur Arnþórsson
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30. May 2004
Everyone owns their mountain. Here in Iceland are a lot of mountains and Icelanders are born with their own special view of it.
I was talking with my friend; she was raised to the west of Mt. Þríhyrningur. “I love this side of my mountain, from this side it is a real mountain“, she said. "No, its not right, Þríhyrningur is great from south", I said.
Going around each mountain it will change shapes. Each direction can be very different. My mountain is Þríhyrningur in Fljótshlíð. This summer I am going to travel around Þríhyrningur and paint it from all sides. It will be fun to see it from various directions.
So, it’s will be a great expedition to paint and call it: My mountain!
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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20. May 2004
A new artist is now on the Art Wall!
Sigurður Örlygsson is a well known Icelandic painter. He is a painter of composition and form. Constantly making experiments with objects of our modern culture.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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7. May 2004
The Art-Iceland.com web site is getting more popular. According to Alexa, it is now ranked among the top 1% of the most popular sites on the whole Internet.
Five artists are already portrayed on the site and more are coming.
A shopping basket is in the makings. That means that the shopping experience will be better and taking orders more secure.
Þrándur Arnþórsson
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2. May 2004
I love the springtime. In the winter time the earth is sleeping and the people are also sleeping. But in the spring the earth is awaking and the lambs are born. Sometime the springtime is cold and windy and another day it is warm and the sun is shining. Life is sometimes easy with the sun shining and we smile and sometimes it’s raining and we are crying.
But if life goes on with the sun shining every day, would it not be a rather boring live?
So, please: Don’t worry, be happy. Don’t worry, be happy!
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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22. April 2004
I am visiting my sister’s family along with my husband and daughter. She lives in Álftanes. This is the first day of summer. The weather is still and the sun is shining. Birds are sailing on the sea and I hear them “talking” to each other. Suddenly a woman and her husband on a canoe sail around the birds. Everyone is smiling and playing because the summer is coming. The sun spreads a pink carpet over the see.
It is so lovely and I say to my sister: “If I were you and would live here I would never go to sleep. I would be outside and look over the see. And at last go inside and paint it all.”
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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22. April 2004
I go with my husband and daughter to our summerhouse. It is a small hut we are rebuilding.
My husband, Thrandur is tearing down an old shack and I am clearing out the old fence.
We make a big fire of the material and continue our work.
Suddenly our daughter screams “The fire is spreading around”. The dry grass has caught fire. I am very scared; it is so close to the house. I run after a bucket and fill it up with water from the well. We jump on the fire and pour water on it. Thrandur uses a shovel to slam it down. The fire is greedy and angry he wants to come close to the house to have more to eat and to grow faster. But finally we are stronger than the fire and at last it gives up the fight.
After that I am thinking about the greed and the anger in people. Sometimes we are like the fire. We are greedy for money and we want more and more.
Quit being greedy and angry!
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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17. April 2004
Have you gone to gather berries? If you have then you know the feeling afterwards. When you go to sleep, you can see a lot of berries in your minds eye. It is very difficult to go to sleep because your mind is full of berries.
The same feeling is over me now. Last weekend I was in the country, I was milking 30 cows and they were very curious. They came near me and their nose was close to my nose. I could feel the warm breath and smell from their mouth. I like them, they are lovely. But when I go to sleep I don’t see anything but noses of the cows.
This is fun to think about. It would be fun to paint a picture of the heads of the cows and their big noses.
Álfheiður Ólafsdóttir
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