62 Degrees North
Ice, wind, fire and water are Nature’s tools in moulding the landscape of this remote and pristine part of the planet. Recent travels to Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands provided an opportunity to witness the awesome grandeur of these regions.
Aerial views of majestic rivers of ice carving massive U-shaped valleys, floating icebergs of every conceivable size and shape, extensive lava fields often covered in a vacuum sealed mossy coat and the prolific birdlife soaring on air currents and nesting on precipitous cliffs provided inspiration aplenty. Whilst the unspoilt beauty of this region was the initial attraction for putting this body of work together other important issues surfaced as the project evolved.
Almost daily, media reports highlighted the profound impact climate change, notably the warming of the planet, was having throughout this region. Sea ice hit record lows as temperatures hit record highs. The ice was vanishing. As a result albedo rates ( reflectability of the surface) were lowered. Without ice the remaining “darker” surfaces absorbed even more heat adding to global warming trends. Glaciers were in retreat at both ends of the globe. In 2008 planet Earth from space looked blue with two white polar regions. Today the picture is grim. Only one white polar region is visible – the South Pole. What impacts are occurring in these northern regions as a result of global warming? How can this trend be slowed down? Where does Man fit into this global warming equation? How do we as individuals respond to the challenge of global warming? There is much to “reflect” upon…..
Prints and watercolours were used to create the images for this exhibition as they married well to the subject matter under scrutiny. To make a print you often need to scratch a surface using a scribe. Nature uses glaciers for her scribe! The scale might be a little different. On the other hand so much colour was in the water whether it was in a frozen or a liquid state. It seemed a natural progression to use colour in water to capture certain images from this unforgettable part of the world. It is a region that instils humility and an enormous feeling of insignificance when the scale of the landscape is encountered.
