An Overwhelming Sense of Awe

Roadtrip!

My time here in Reykjavik is quickly coming to an end, as I prepare for our group exhibition tomorrow at the SIM Residency. After working pretty much non-stop for 3 weeks, I’ve finished the second drawing from my pretty boys kill me series, so I thought I deserved a bit of a break! A friend and I decided to go on a one day road trip out of the city to see some of Iceland. It’s amazing how much one can see in a day here, and how much the landscape varies in such a small area. We headed out towards the western Iceland, to the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

The stunning landscape seen throughout the day

We were very lucky with the weather and I think because of the season change, the colours were absolutely amazing.  Everywhere I looked, there was so much to take in visually. The colours were just so vivid and in such an awe inspiring environment, each and every view was truly a beautiful and breathtaking sight. Here are some of the photos from my one day trip.

A picturesque road trip
The basalt columns of Gerouberg

The reds and yellows were so saturated.  It was like a carpet of autumnal colours covered the land. While at Gerouberg, there weren’t any other people around and a large raven flew by, in the distance, and I could actually hear the flapping of its wings because it was so silent around me. This experience was one of my favourite parts of yesterday.

The land was coloured ochre and waterfalls were everywhere
A black painted church at Búðir

We stopped in Búðir, a small town in the middle of the Búðahraun lava fields in Staðarsveit, where the lava fields were covered in light green moss. It was surprise to suddenly see a white sand beach there with lava rocks jutting out.

The white sand beaches of Búðir

We then continued onto the black sand beaches of Djúpalónssandur, where there were rusty remains of an old shipwreck strewn across the beach. The clouds also lifted in the distance and we were able to catch a clear view of Snæfellsjökull, the glacier covered volcano that was written about in Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Black sand beaches and lava rocks
Just look at the colours!
A clear view of Snæfellsjökull

One of my favourite things about this trip was the lava fields and all of the colours. Driving through what seemed like endless lava fields was an experience I will never forget.

Yellows, reds, and greens on the lava fields
We stopped for photos every 10 minutes or so!
Ending the evening at Stykkishólmur

After a full day’s driving and sightseeing, we returned tired and weary but inspired and amazed! All in time to finish up last minute preparations for tomorrow’s exhibition! I’ve also printed a small limited edition run of books with drawings from my pretty boys kill me project, which I will talk about more soon!

If you are in Reykjavik, please come see our exhibition tomorrow!