My last post was a few months ago and I talked about my excitement at collaborating with fellow Northern Irish artist @SusiemooArt on an exhibition of paintings inspired by our respective travels in Svalbard in the High Arctic.
The exhibition will run from January to March 2025 in the North Down Museum in Bangor, County Down.
I’ve been continuing to paint, focusing mainly on my Arctic paintings, albeit interspersed with other projects here and there.
I’m drawn to the cinematic landscape and ghostly light of the Arctic and could happily paint nothing else.
I’ve got seven paintings completed now and planning to work on another seven or eight. Here’s the story so far….
Lilliehöökbreen
My painting of of the Lilliehöökbreen glacier is probably my all-time favourite painting. I was honoured that it won the Unison prize at the Pastel Society of Ireland’s exhibition earlier this year. I could get lost in those soft blues and, in reality, I probably did just that for around 30 hours when I was painting it.
Nordstjernen
I spent three days on an expedition ship which allowed me to travel beyond the 80th parallel to the edge of the Ice cap. It was epic. I spent most of my time in deck absorbing as many sights as I could. But I wanted to pay tribute to my tiny cabin with the best window on the world of all time.
Arctic Dreams
I’ve done a few smaller paintings using Lux Archival paper which is more textured than my usual pastelmat, but it allows me to experiment with underpaintings and to fill up the paintings with more layers and depth. You can see some of the process and the finished effects in these two pieces.
Birds of the High Arctic
This painting is the giant of the collection, weighing in at an epic 100 x 70 cm. I wanted to capture and reflect the scale of the landscape, but I also wanted to capture the grace of the Northern fulmars as they swooped and surfed across the mirror-like waters of Tempelfjorden.
Gathering storm
Weather and light are the currency of Svalbard. This painting seeks to capture both. Here’s a little glimpse into how it evolved…
Haunted shore
And finally, my most recent piece. Svalbard is a place of ghosts and solitude. It’s in the air, the light, the extremes of night and day, the other-worldliness. I’ve tried to capture that in the haunting stillness of this painting of Borebukta Bay, wrapped in weather, full of breaking sea ice.
I’ve enjoyed painting these so much. My next challenge will be to edit down my longlist of potential next paintings.
Julie Wilson Art 