 Kjerkfjorden, Lofoten, May 2001
|
On May 17th after more than a year of planning, touching
down at Leknes air strip saw me both elated and relieved
to have finally arrived in Lofoten. These Islands rank
highly among the world's most beautiful places and I was
overwhelmed with excitement about the painting adventure
I was about to experience. But a bumpy landing in a small
Dash 8 plane on a cold, grey, windswept May evening was
not exactly how I had envisaged my grand arrival in the
'land of the midnight sun'! A bigger shock still was the
obvious absence of snow - could I really be in the
Arctic? This rather unexpected first impression had
evoked a twinge of apprehension, arousing a slight
feeling of uncertainty. Would it be all that I'd hoped
for? What if it wasn't? Was I expecting too much? I
needn't have worried. On leaving the airport it soon
became glaringly apparent that Lofoten would indeed live
up to all my expectations. Mountains abounded and, snow
or not, I realised that any initial trepidation was
totally unfounded. Thankfully at that point, my momentary
pessimism melted away as quickly as it had arisen and my
fascinating journey of discovery began in earnest. The Lofoten Islands lie directly
in the path of the Gulf Stream, making them extremely
mild in comparison to other countries of the same
latitude such as northern Greenland. Snowfall varies from
year to year with an average winter temperature of -1
degree, but a particularly mild winter this year saw much
less fall than usual. By the time I arrived, just the
deeper mountain crevices still bore snow. Periodically
though (and to my delight), after days shrouded in thick
cloud, the very tops would become dusted with an
icing-sugar like coating. Against a backdrop of clear
blue sky and with mirror like reflections in the still,
deep lakes, this mountain landscape in the sea was
transformed to the almost magical.
I stayed for the first
10 days at Høynes, a tiny cluster of 'hytter' on the
'outside' of the island of Vestvågøy. With spectacular
views to Jellvollstind mountain on one side and out
across the open sea to distant Vesterålen on the other I
was perfectly placed, both to see the midnight sun and to
begin my visual study of this most beautiful of places.
24 hour daylight added hugely to the experience and,
although a little strange to begin with, it allowed for
maximum exploration. It also provided much needed
'catch-up' time for work after poor weather!
|
|
Thanks to a hire
car, provided with funding from Nycomed Amersham plc., I
spent the first few days acquainting myself with the
northern end of the islands: Vestvågøy, Gimsøy and
Austvågøy and enjoyed discovering places such as Eggum,
Borge, Svolvær and Henningsvær which I had read so much
about. The E10 is the only main road on Lofoten and it
stretches the entire length of the islands, joining them
together like a string of beads with modern bridges and
tunnels. This road provided spectacular views,
particularly around the winding coastal parts, but it was
the hidden coves, fjords and mountain paths which really
excelled. Constantly changing weather meant that several
visits to paint in the same area would prove fruitful and
mountains such as Vågakallen and Rulten quickly became
'favourites'. My research prior to arrival had revealed
that several of the peaks here had in fact been
discovered and first climbed in the very early 1900's by
British mountaineer William Cecil Slingsby. Although not
a climber myself, on a fine day I could begin to
appreciate exactly what the attraction had been - on a
stormy day I was not so sure.....
|
 |
The weather on
Lofoten is notorious for its rapid changes and micro
climates, which makes it extremely difficult to predict.
The geography of the islands means that within very short
distances the weather can differ completely, from thick
low cloud to bright clear skies in just a few kilometres.
Likewise, you may find yourself sitting peacefully in
warm sunshine one minute and in the middle of a hail
storm the next! This makes painting outside an
unpredictable business and good preparation of kit
essential. Using the car as a mobile studio helped a
little but my warm fleece clothing, hats and gloves
provided by North Cape (Scotland) Ltd proved invaluable.
Good waterproofs and a flask of something hot also come
highly recommended!By the end of my first week I had been
introduced to many facets of the Lofoten way of life and
had absorbed the fact that the mountains are 'there' and
that everything goes on around them. The prevailing winds
and worst of the weather comes from the west south west
so, logically, most of the substantial settlements and
fishing ports are on the south eastern or 'inside' of the
islands for protection. This has been the case throughout
history and a visit to the reconstructed Viking
settlement at Borge showed exactly how resourceful the
people of Lofoten needed to be, both back then and to a
certain degree even now. Life may have been 'modernised'
but fundamentally it remains much the same with weather,
fishing and farming (in that order) at its heart. I was
lucky enough to see the midnight sun once during my stay
at Høynes which, I was later told, was quite an
achievement given that I had only been there for 10
days.....
|
 |
On 26th May I waved
good-bye to Vestvågøy and, on the sunniest day I'd
seen, I began my journey south. Leaving via the
impressive Nappstraumen tunnel I drove across Flakstadøy
and down to the bottom of Moskenesøy which, although
just 50km away, in many ways seemed like a different
world. Vestvågøy has the largest agricultural community
of the islands thanks to a greater area of flat ground
but here at the southern end, among mountains which rise
straight from the sea, the fishing industry is very much
the life blood. In March the season is in full swing with
the cod harvest at its peak. 80% of the fish caught at
this time are hung up to dry on racks which cover every
spare inch of level space. The fish remain there, open to
the elements but essentially 'drying out' until mid June
when the process of taking in and grading this Stockfish
or 'Tørrfisk' begins. The majority is then shipped off
to Italy where it is a much praised delicacy. Revenue
generated from the stockfish trade is of crucial
importance to Lofoten and, together with a growing
tourism industry, they form the mainstay of the islanders
existence. It was fascinating for me to see (and smell!)
these fish racks full during my stay because, as such an
important element in the way of life on Lofoten, they are
indeed integral to the landscape.
|
 |
Small hamlets and
their fishing fleets are scattered all along the southern
coasts of Flakstadøy and Moskenesøy. My base at
Sakrisøy lay between the picturesque villages of Hamnøy
and Reine and was an active producer and exporter of
premier quality Tørrfisk. My home for 2 weeks
(surrounded by fish racks!) was an authentically restored
fisherman's cabin or 'Rorbu', which stood on stilts in
the clear green water of Reinefjorden. From here I was
able to explore with my drawing books both on foot and by
boat, with many more opportunities just a short drive
away. A sunny but windy boat trip down the massive
Kjerkfjord was particularly enjoyable and productive,
with spectacular views of some of the best mountains in
Lofoten. This too was an area first climbed by Slingsby
and several of the peaks he conquered are visible from
here.
|
 |
A couple of
kilometres on from Reine the E10 road winds through
tunnels and across bridges to Sørvågen, finally ending
at Å, which overlooks the famous Maelstrom current
between Moskenesøy and Værøy. The interesting geology
of the islands is greatly apparent here with enormous
striations of quartz visible both underfoot and on the
massive sea cliffs. Some of the oldest and hardest rock
in the world can be found on Lofoten, the spectacular
mountains being carved by ice from gneiss, granite and
syenite. An afternoon alone painting surrounded by such
majesty is certainly a humbling experience.
|
 Mannen & Gjerdtindan -
Morning Shadows. Owned by North Cape (Scotland) Ltd.
|
The mixed and
unpredictable weather throughout my trip, although
frustrating at times, proved essential in showing me the
'real' Lofoten. Some fantastic days, some dreadful days
and everything in between made for an extremely rewarding
3 weeks. The main objective of my trip was 'to visit the
Lofoten Islands in order to begin a detailed visual
portrayal of their unique mountain environment and its
effect on the communities which exist there, thus
continuing my visual study of Norwegian mountains through
the medium of paint and further advancing my overall
development as a mountain artist'. All of this I feel I
have achieved - drawing, painting, observing and
absorbing - experiencing life on the islands for myself
in order to portray it in a truthful way to others.
Having recorded in paint as much as possible of the
islands' landscape and their many moods (though not
always easy!), I now hope to be able to give true
representation and 'essence' to the pictures I will continue to create.
|
Cloud, wind
and rain, the midnight sun, never ending daylight,
screaming seagulls, chugging boat engines, fish racks and
the smell of drying fish, the stillness of deep
reflections on a quiet morning, the ferocity of an
impromptu hail storm, the majestic and towering presence
of the mountains - these all add up to the spirit of
Lofoten. Life may continue to evolve there but this
unique and beautiful coastal mountain environment always
has been and always will be, completely at the mercy of
the elements.
|
 |
 |
| |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
