Images of Eyes Gallery I
Digital Artwork by Ellert Grétarsson 
Iceland

Ellert Grétarsson was born at Húsavík in North Iceland in 1965. In 1996, Ellert started to work in the printing industry, where he focused on computer graphics and the design of printed material and advertisements, thereby learning to use programs including Photoshop and Freehand.  Digital art was gaining importance at this time, and Ellert's attention was attracted not only to that form of the visual arts but to the potentials that these and other programs, such as 3D programs, offered beyond what was exploited by his job.

Ellert's interest in photography, however, may be traced all the way back to his years in elementary school.  Upon starting a career in journalism, which lasted from 1987 to 1995, Ellert took thousands of news photographs. For a number of years, Ellert ran his own photo lab and during recent years he has taught numerous courses on digital photography and photo processing.

Ellert is now a working photographer and a journalist.

       Quoted from Ellert's website

"Haustandi" by Ellert Grétarsson
Image Copyright © by Ellert Grétarsson

"Gamlárskvöld" by Ellert Grétarsson
Image Copyright © by Ellert Grétarsson

"Herra og fru Laufdal" by Ellert Grétarsson
Image Copyright © by Ellert Grétarsson

"Sumarsöknuour" by Ellert Grétarsson
Image Copyright © by Ellert Grétarsson

"Direct Connection" by Ellert Grétarsson
Image Copyright © by Ellert Grétarsson

"Digital Thinking" by Ellert Grétarsson
Image Copyright © by Ellert Grétarsson

Gretarsson's website, Gallery Elg, is http://www.elg.is/
Email is elg@eldhorn.is 

Iceland is a favorite travel destination

Iceland is a stunningly beautiful place with strange and desolate landscapes, lava fields, lava tubes, plains of fractured rock, ice, fire, and steam.  Despite its name, Iceland is very mild for land at that latitude owing to the warming effect of the Atlantic Gulf Stream. The average June temperature is as high as 10C (50F).  A country in Northern Europe, Iceland is a large volcanic island in the north Atlantic Ocean.  In a sense, it is well-named, with over 11 per cent of the country being covered by glaciers, but in another sense it is not, with a surprisingly mild climate and countless geothermal hot-spots.

"Gullfoss" - the Golden Falls - from Wikipedia
Image taken by John Haddy, July 27, 2003

On the edge of the inhospitable interior of Iceland, the river Hvita plunges down a double cascade to create what many people believe is the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland.

"Dettifoss" - Europe's biggest and most powerful waterfall - from Wikipedia
Image taken by Roger McLassus, July 31, 1972

The island is extremely geologically active, having many volcanoes, notably Hekla, and geysers (itself an Icelandic word).  With this widespread availability of geothermal power, and also because of the numerous rivers and waterfalls that are harnessed for hydropower, residents of most towns have hot water and home heat for a low price. The island itself is composed primarily of cooled basalt lava.

One of the most popular activities in Iceland is visiting the geothermal spas and pools that can be found all around the country.  The most famous spa and pool complex is The "Blue Lagoon" with its 104F (40C) temperature in the swimming area.  Its mineral-rich water is pumped up from a mile below the surface, and is said to have curative powers.  Iceland is richer in hot springs and high-temperature geo-thermal activity than any other country in the world.

"Sunrise at Kleifarvatn" by Andreas Tille
See more Iceland photos by Andreas Tille 
at http://fam-tille.de/island/winter/index.html

Because it is so close to the Arctic Circle, the amount of daylight varies dramatically by season.  The sun sets briefly each night in June, but it doesn't get fully dark before it comes back up again.  Summertime vacationers won't regret bringing an eye mask.  During the height of summer there is no actual darkness and in the Northern part of the country the sun might just dip for a few minutes below the polar circle.  In March and September, days and nights are about equal, as elsewhere in the world.  Summer is definitely the best time to go, and even then the tourist traffic is still mild.  If you go in December, forget about daytime sight-seeing; it'll be too dark outside.  In the colder months, one may frequently get stunning views of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) anywhere away from city lights.

"Hallgrimskirkja" by Andreas Tille - from Wikipedia
A statue of Leifr Eiríksson is on the left
Tille's image was enhanced by Mark Sweep using The Gimp image processing

Unlike neighboring Greenland, Iceland is considered to be a part of Europe, not a part of North America.  It is the world's 18th largest island.  About 10 percent of the island is glaciated.  Many fjords punctuate its 3,088 miles (4,970 km) long coastline, which is also where most towns are situated because the island's interior, the Highlands of Iceland, is a cold and uninhabitable desert.  The major towns are the capital of Reykjavik, Akureyri, and Keflavik, home of the national airport.

The island's spoken tongue is Icelandic; other important languages are English, German, Danish, and other Scandinavian languages.  Iceland's literacy rate is among the highest in the world, and a love of literature, art, chess, and other intellectual pursuits is widespread.  Independence and self-reliance are important Icelandic traits.  They are proud of their Viking heritage and the Icelandic language.

Much of the edited text in the section above is from Wikipedia or Wikitravel, as are the images (except for "Sunrise at Kleifarvatn"), and are included here with our thanks.

The source of this striking (!) Icelandic image is unknown

"Letters from Iceland" is a travel book in prose and verse by W. H. Auden and Louis MacNeice, published in 1937.  The book is made up of a series of letters and travel notes by Auden and MacNeice written during their trip to Iceland in 1936 [synopsis from Wikipedia].  The book is a recurring focus in "Away From Her," a Canadian-made movie which portrays the tragedy and sometimes humor of Alzheimer's disease.

For current travel and vacation information about Iceland, read the travel articles below.  Registration may be required.

--- http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/travel/18ring.html?ex=1151035200&en=c5b6a4a3b9f8da62&ei=5087%0A (all about Iceland's 830-mile Ring Road, published Jun 18, 2006, written by Mark Sundeen, a writer for Outside and National Geographic Adventure)

--- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072800441.html?sub=AR   An article by Tommy Nguyen published in the Washington Post of Jul 30, 2006:  "Tapped Out in Iceland" with details on how to plan a road trip

More travel links:

  http://www.icelandreview.com/ 
  http://www.visitreykjavik.is/ -- The official tourist website of Reykjavik, Capital of Iceland 
  http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/europe/iceland/reykjavik/
  http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/61/Travel_To_Iceland.html
  http://www.visiticeland.com/
  http://www.icelandtravel.is/
  http://www.icelandair.com/ 
  http://wikitravel.org/en/Iceland -- scroll down, it's a long page
  http://www.travelnet.is/
  http://www.exploreiceland.is/

Learn about the fascinating Icelandic language

Page updated Apr 12, 2008

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