Iceland, part deux

There are so many breathtaking points while driving through Iceland. If I lived there, I would surly being pulling off of the road constantly to snap photos.

We rented a 4X4 for our adventures, knowing some of the places would be on gravel roads. Surprisingly, most of the roads, besides the main Ring Road is gravel. En route to Akureyri we stopped at a few points. One being þingeyrar (Thingeyrar). From the Ring Road, if looking, you can see this amazing church on the edge of a horse farm.

Akureyri is small, but packed with character. We took day trips to Husavik for whale watching and the Phallological Museum, which is a must see! We also did a day trip to Krafla and Lake Myvatn. Lake Myvatn is wonderful for hiking and wandering around. Once back in Reykjavik, we spent time visiting museums and eating. I recommend visiting the The National Museum. I also recommend, for a cheap eat, but a good one visiting this hot dog stand, or as they call hot dogs in Icelandic – pylsur.

A place like Iceland really helps clear ones mind. I did not think of so many things back in the States. It also helped having my cell phone turned off, only checking email a few times, (mostly to keep it under control), and not having ads or media forced down your throat at every corner.

I will leave you with a few photos of the landscape!

I am currently waiting for my film to be developed, so I may have some more photos to share – we will see how they turn out!

Hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day weekend!

I C E L A N D, Reykjavik, part un

Icelandic Horses, which I am sure out number people in Iceland easily!

Oh, the Land of Fire + Ice! I’ve finally gotten around to posting just a few photos. My worry when we arrived was getting around a country without a train system. I’m used to hoping around trains in Europe with their extensive lines that will get you to London to Paris and beyond within a few hours. Luckily, Reykjavík has an amazing bus system, called the BSI. The buses leave the international airport at Keflavik 45 minutes after flights arrive, so we were promptly whisked away through a otherworldly landscape of volcanic rocks to Europe’s most northerly capital, Reykjavík.

when we first arrived

Once in the city we quickly got to exploring our new surroundings. Later that evening, we treated ourselves to a few hours at the Blue Lagoon. Iceland has about 18 hours of daylight right now, so it’s wonderful for traveling (and partying, which Icelanders do with such ease!). When your energy is 100% renewable (Islanders harness geothermal energy) I think there comes a wonderful attention to simplicity and design. Scandinavian design, in general, is so simple, clear, and beautiful. Reykjavik is a comfortable city and we stayed at a bed and breakfast the first two nights, which was like a hostel and just wonderful. The last two nights we treated ourselves to a nice hotel, which was also the last two nights of the trip. The shopping is A+, though still expensive even though our currency is a little more matched these days. We also made a note to dine on Icelandic food as much as possible – so we ate lots of fish and I was treated to a lobster feast on my birthday. Oh, and snaking on pulsar – more on that later.

I feel my holiday withdrawal starting to kick in again as I write about this lovely city… I will post more photos later!

I have my art opening tonight at The Old Town School of Music and I am glad that live bluegrass music and wine will keep my nerves at ease.

upcoming shows

I am back from Iceland. –> le sigh <– What a wonderful trip – perfect in every way. The day we left I longed to stay just a little bit longer. I will post photos soon – as there are hundreds and apparently the world does not develop good ol’ fashion film anymore. (Sorry, not a huge fan of the quality of digital still – black and white film still carries so much more weight.) Anyway, have a few upcoming shows:

Indie Market at Schubas
- – > Chicago
Saturday, May 30th from 11-4pm

This is one of my favorite shows in Chicago and where I met my good friend,
Laura George – whom I am sharing a booth with at Renegade Brooklyn. This show is gracefully orchestrated by the lovely Stephanie of Scarlet Bloom.

Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn
- – > Brooklyn, NY
Saturday + Sunday, June 6 + 7th a McCarren park from 11am – 7pm

I am so far behind on all of this stuff – need to order more business cards,need to get into the letterpress studio just a few more times, need to figure out when to design new buttons, and all those small details that sneak up as it gets closer! It is truly a miracle that I always seem to get everything done just in the knick of time.

Iceland Bound

This is it – we are just down to a day! I can hardly hold in my excitement! We’ve packed everything from bathing suits to winter jackets and are ready for the otherworldly adventures that Iceland will hold! Drew and I have been dreaming about visiting for years and finally decided to take the plunge. Both having traveled through Europe and Drew living in a few countries prior to moving to the U.S., I am curious to compare Iceland to other European countries. There will be no hustle and bustle. I didn’t want that on this trip – I just want geothermal baths, lots of open road, cliffs, fjords, and ocean.

We fly from Boston and arrive in Reykjavík on Saturday morning. From there we will travel to Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland, with stops in between at the West Fjords (super excited for this!), Dettifoss, The Blue Lagoon, and wherever else our four-wheel drive takes us (Like dipping into a geothermal pool on an abandoned farm somewhere in the middle of nowhere… >le sigh<). After months of working seven days a week with hardly a breath in between, I am looking forward to the break. I do believe Drew is as well – as he is one of the hardest workers I know. We had actually talked about going to Iceland on a honeymoon trip – well, that means we gotta think up something else now. With my sketchbook, cameras, and road map in tote – I am off.

And with that- bon voyage and as they say in Icelandic, “Bless!” xo, ct

hello there, spring – walk a little faster!

Apothecary Jar Terrarium No. 21 + Apothecary Jar Terrarium No. 35

I love, love, love these. Thanks, Courtney, for passing this my way. I definitely think one is in order for my dear mom for Mother’s Day – aren’t they wonderful? Perhaps one for our letterpress studio as well. Please check out Blithe Gardens’ shop – and she is from Kansas City – and ya’ll know how much I heart that place!

I decided to bow down from the gallery. I am a lot happier now that I don’t have to be 5 places at once. I think I over do it sometimes and I realized I need to keep it simple and focus on what I really want. Only sleeping a few hours a night was starting to really eat away at me – as I still want to keep up with freelance clients, the wedding invites, work, printmaking, and gallery shows – these things prove to be more lucrative for me and I couldn’t imagine not making art as much. Heck, I’m a loner, Dottie – a rebel and I have a hard enough time knowing where I have to be and where I am business/tax/copyright wise, let alone trying to organize with a group of people. We all put a lot of blood and sweat into it and I am certain the space will be a success. Most galleries are sort of open-on-a-whim type of places or scene hangouts and FIB is none of these – it’s a well oiled and well managed place, which makes it stand out. Laura George is having an opening tonight, so if you happen to be in our lovely city come check out her work inspired by a two-week trip she took out west.

Laura and I, along with Holly from theThread and Needle andCourtney Fischer
will be trucking it from Chicago —>Detriot —>Brooklyn in June for the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn >phew< Let’s do this thing!