field trip - arctic voyage 2022

voyage of discovery

winter field trip by light of full moon

exploring a changing winter landscape

I first visited Oslo in Norway forty years ago when my parents were posted there for 3 years. There was snow from November to April 2 metres deep around the house, the city roads were compacted ice. I have returned regularly since with my Norwegian husband, ‘grey’ winters of rain and ice have become the norm, no reflected light off the snow to alleviate the dark winters

I studied the impact of the changing weather patterns in the Arctic region - reading the British Museum “Arctic: Culture & Climate” exhibition book, “Ice Rivers” by Jemma Wadham recording the devastating story of shrinking glaciers and Rachel Carson’s 1940s book that was years ahead of it’s time

arctic coastal voyage

In February 2022 I carried out a research trip on the Norwegian Hurtigruten Coastal Express observing the changing winter landscape and interviewing the crew that provided invaluable studio resources for my current work

part cruise, part working boat, the daily boat stops day and night delivering supplies, a lifeline for the small and large coastal communities since 1893. We departed from Bergen turned round at Kirkenes a centre for the Sami, one of the indigenous cultures who have traditionally herded their reindeer over the frozen tundra, a lifestyle now affected by the melting sea ice.

into the arctic

within an hour of crossing the Arctic latitude 66° 33' line the light changed; it became incredibly bright, clear and intensely blue

umber

due to the intense northern light Scandinavian’s have mixed their paints with burnt umber for centuries to achieve the faded palette we associate them

(Into the Arctic III)

recording colour

using my homemade pigment watercolour paints to captured the blues, greys and whites of the passing landscape I mixed cobalt blue with earth pigments

stitch line & texture

snow covered mountains & melting sea ice translated well into hand stitch marks

pop up studio

stitch book

making a tactile note book that contain stitch ideas, mark making that references the field trip

keeping it simple using black and white like pencil or ink sketches, the trees defined by fuzzy vertical lines or ice floats stitched on organza make up the pages in the Arctic Stitch book

follow me on Instagram for more images and updates on new work