The Arctic

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Vast, remote, expansive, unyielding. Endless snow, glaciers, sea. - Ice - Timeless. I was fortunate to be able to arrange a painting trip to Baffin Island in May of 2004. Base camp-- Pond Inlet and the Lancaster Sound area. .

Bylot Island, snow capped mountains shrouded in a low ceiling of clouds, pressure ice formations, trapped icebergs and endless sea ice offered boundless painting possibilities. Round-the-clock sunlight afforded a unique opportunity for exploring, sketching and photographing the terrain.

The painting "A State of Being" places the viewer before a partial image of an iceberg. The scene is abstract, horizonless and the colours of the Arctic explode across the canvas. Brilliant blues, cobalt, teal greens, exquisite turquoise and magenta flood the visual field. I want the viewer to imagine beyond the box and sense the entire iceberg.

‘Fade Out” reflects the changing atmospheric conditions experienced at the floe edge . The trapped iceberg kept retreating visually into the background- it was difficult to distinguish sky , ground ice and the berg- there was a total loss of depth perception. The multi faceted iceberg represents only a portion of the huge expanse of the massive berg.

Click on image to enlarge

Fade Out

2005 acrylic/canvas 12' w x 4'7"h

Due to atmospheric white-out conditions - total lack of depth perception - trapped iceberg kept retreating visually into the background and sky

Toxic Vessel

2005 acrylic/canvas 6' w x 4'7"h

Trapped iceberg in Lancaster Sound.

Inuit chop ice from icebergs for water. Unfortunately toxins found in Inuit women's breast milk are believed to come from drinking water from icebergs.