Artist Elín Elísabet seeks out remote places to paint

Icelandic artist Elín Elísabet Einarsdóttir often travels to remote parts of the country to paint in nature, focusing on its subtle details. She tends to choose places she feels connected to or has roots in, including Borgarfjörður eystri and locations in the Westfjords, mbl.is reports.

Text features in many of her works. Elín writes poems, prints them out, cuts them up and rearranges the words into chance combinations that sometimes become part of a painting’s base. She sometimes paints over the words. She has also published a poetry book in connection with an exhibition opening.

Her poems often explore the connection between people and nature, the tiny details of the natural world against the vast cosmos, and the restlessness she says she often feels. When she needs a change, she wants to drive out of town to a remote place.

Elín paints on discarded materials rather than canvas, especially particleboard and plywood. She looks for offcuts in a bin at Byko and sometimes receives materials from construction projects. Holes and staples in the boards add to their history, she says.

She prefers to sit on the ground while painting outdoors, close to the small details that interest her. Standing at an easel makes her feel too far from the subject; sitting down, she says, helps her blend in with nature. In summer, she packs food so she can spend the whole day painting outside. As a new mother, she now gets out into nature less often and spends most days in her studio, where she prepares boards by sawing and screwing them before losing herself in the painting.

Her exhibition Vé is on view at the Listasal Mosfellsbæjar art gallery until November 13. An artist talk will be announced toward the end of the exhibition.