A Portrait of Icelandic Light

I was going to post this portrait of patience. for Eric who asked me some time ago to see a portrait that wasn't about a face. This very much summed up my teens experience with our group today. The average age being about 65. They did so well, very patient, never complaining. I felt very proud and just a little bit sorry for them. We decided to make our own way after lunch.

I wanted to show you this one though as it perfectly illustrates the light I keep going on about. I just love how you can see every pixel in her eyes. It's really quite something. I have been struck by how incredibly young the work force is here. This woman who looks about twelve was the manager of the restaurant where we had lunch . I asked her where all the middle aged people were, I mean it when I say I can count the number of locals over 30 in this town on both hands. Apparently they are in the mountains for the summer months. It's been a bit strange really.

We had the great privilege to visit the studio of Steinunn Thorarinsdottir this morning. She is a bit of a national treasure and her work can be seen dotted around Reykjavik and world wide. It was such a thrill to photograph her in Situ and hear her talk about her art. Her son is her model and she spoke about her sculptures as if they were her children. She invited me to her opening in London next month. I will be looking forward to that.

The kids and I went to see the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition this afternoon. So incredibly inspiring. I had forgotten how much I admired his work as a teen. It seemed so contraversal and extreme to me back then. I used to keep his book hidden away, it made me feel cooler somehow. Brought me right back to a very seminal (New York) moment in my teenage life. Photographs have always held that power for me.

a few more.

p.s my backside is literally black and blue from yesterdays adventure, ouch!