"Where Dark is Light"

Spring in Montana......always reminds me of one of my very favorite places in the world... Iceland. Right now here, the grasses are turning green quickly with the varieties of moisture that rushes through the wide valleys. Snow, grapple, rain, sleet, we get all of it in May - including bursts of glorious sun. But during this special time, the fields and mountains grow a short, bright turf all along its' cracks and curves. The green grows now in places where it will not last due to early July heat, draught and exposure. The other factor making Montana feel like Iceland is the lack of leaves. For a short time the trees disappear into the landscape with their branches bare. Instead our eye is focused on the intense green, the color. Iceland, of course, has very few trees, and thus feels like a similar landscape for a very short time.

During this time of year, I'm always reminded of both the special times I've enjoyed in Iceland, as well as, a particular show I put together a few years ago at Grainhouse Art. "Where Dark is Light" was the name, playing on the extreme contrasts of Iceland. The land of soft moss and fluid water, juxtaposed to the craggy, hard rock and turbulent sky. I was engaged under a waterfall in Iceland ages ago and have been back several times since. The landscape is remarkable and I felt so connected to this place that it seemed the perfect thing to focus a collection of paintings and an entire show around.

I gathered lots of moss to tuck into spots around the gallery, encouraged my artist friends to also create work associated with the theme... gorgeous blue and black glazes on ceramics, blue, green and black beads in jewelry, even the animal cups featured Icelandic horses and sheep! I was also able to convince my photographer husband to create some large prints of his incredible photos of Iceland. It was really a show I was proud of. Such fun to bring together so many beautiful works, in honor of such a remarkable place!