Sjáumst means, basically, "see you later" in Icelandic, and is often my preferred way of saying goodbye to people and places. It's not final, it's more open ended and hopeful. I left Textílsetur yesterday afternoon and the month I spent there was pretty dreamy with every day filled with quiet studio time, long walks, and solitude in the landscape. On my last full day I took two walks. On the first one I walked along the sea to a cove, one of my favorite places in Blönduós. Then later I took a walk on the farm of the Textílsetur director, Jóhanna Pálmadóttir. Her place is situated on a lake and as I walked along its frozen edges, I noticed there was no sound except for my breathing, the sound of my feet walking through snow, and the sound of snow hitting my parka. There was nothing else, no birds, no cars, and I was surrounded by white. It was an amazing moment and the perfect way to end my time there.
I did complete my black island and I'm very, very pleased with it. I stitched the last knots on Saturday while listening to Björk's, "All is Full of Love." The piece is about darkness, but in the end it came down to a lightness; for me there is always light when all is said and done.
Here are new images of each of my big influences from the month--blue light, darkness, the sea, the sky, and ice--all taken in those last few days in Blönduós.
Thanks for reading.
