I’ve been to Iceland! That’s the country, not the shop! It was amazing. I took sketchbooks, paper and card with me and loads of different drawing materials because I wasn’t sure what would work in that climate – my fingers as it turned out. It was freezing – 3 days of torrential snow taught me the meaning of suffering for my art. I whipped my fleecy gloves off every chance I got but even with my miser mittens on underneath, I couldn’t manage to draw outside in that climate for more than about 3 minutes. Then I cried a bit as my poor, raw, red fingers warmed up painfully.
But you’ll have to wait for my sketches and photos of Iceland because first of all I had to endure the journey. Five hours of torture by bus to the airport, fighting travel sickness all the way, then trial by boredom at Heathrow, waiting around for hours because you never know if the security queues are going to be huge (they weren’t). So I did a couple of scribbles of fellow queuers. I noticed different sorts of people queueing for different countries. The people in the posh clothes, high heels, immaculate hair, nails and co-ordinated luggage were on their way to New York, Barcelona and Paris. The people waiting for the Iceland flight were mostly rugged outdoor types, like the one above, dressed in sensible hiking gear and sturdy boots, carrying rucksacks and flashing emergency supplies of Kendal’s Mint Cake. My sort of people.
I took a different angle on this one. I started drawing the Kindle reader, but got bored and drew Husb’s severely foreshortened arms instead. He’s got hairy ones. We had a good flight – it was quick, only about two and a half hours and came into Keflavik airport just as the sun was setting over the most extraordinary volcanic landscape; dark solidified lava jutting into a dark sea splashed with the red of a bloody sunset. Marvellous.
Anyway, over the next few days I’m going to blog my sketches, warts and all, and some photos to show you what it was really like. But now I’m getting an early night because we didn’t get back until two o’clock this morning and I need some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s 🙂
scribblah 
You see I’m right. You are the Martini Sketcher; anytime anyplace, anywhere…..even with your fingers falling off!
hahaha I wish I’d had a martini – might have warmed me up a bit. I think the longest I managed to keep my gloves off was about 3 minutes!
Awwwwwww! Scribblah, you should have let me know. We could have met up and gone sketching together. Never mind. Look forward to more drawings. Russell.
Aw no! I didn’t think!!!!! We were only there for a few days and on a tour. It was so fantastic that we want to come back next year, so maybe we can meet up and sketch then. We didn’t get to see the Northern Lights because it was snowing so much, but I saw some of the Huldufolk (well, I believe they are) …… watch this space…….
I like you sketches and looking forward to hear and see more of your trip!
Thank you 🙂
Welcome back! Any photos of the Borealis? Did you get the back-treatment-of-disdain from the cats? ‘How dare she abandon us and expect us to greet her on her return?’
Check out my 20:20 post from last weekend.
All will be revealed. Sparta is planning another blog methinks 🙂
Wow glad you ha a good time sounded fun! I’ve never been to Iceland– I’d love to go! ^.^
It’s amazing – I’ll post more over the next few days. I couldn’t believe how brilliant it is 🙂
Reblogged this on SplashofSimplicity and commented:
I enjoy what feels like a level of simplicity here.
Thank you 🙂