I knew I was coming to Iceland that summer, so I was especially keen to visit galleries, take photos and do some sketching of the lovely places I visited.
Customs and folklore are very strong in Iceland. For example, having yellow flowers and plants round the house for Easter.
Icelanders are very proud of their horses. I can relate to this having owned a horse for most of my life. Icelandic horses are small and sturdy. They are usually kept outside in herds, though in more modern times, they come into 'horse houses' where they are kept two together in a small stall, and let out in a menage for a period in the day. A lot of people ride, and I would say that most of the horses are broken to ride.
I travelled the country with my hosts and sketched landscapes ( volcanos, salmon rivers ) in pastels in a sketchbook. I used pastels after exhibiting my ceramics with a pastel artist, Emma Hunt, in Whitehaven, the year before my degree started. My preferred medium now is ink and brush on a large canvas.
Here are a few photos from the trip.