The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2006, Side 24

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THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 60 #1
by Kristine Perl mutter
Tordfs
Adalsteinsdottir
As I shared a cup of tea with Fordfs
ASalsteinsdottir during her recent trip to
Winnipeg, I asked her whether she made
her art primarily for herself or if she sought
opportunities to show it to others. In
answer, she allowed me a peek into her cre-
ative process which requires a balance
between solitude and the society of others.
Solitude is required for the work to be born
but she also requires time to be in the
world- to rejuvenate, reflect and collect
inspiration for further work. For the next
few months, she hopes to have some unin-
terrupted time in her studio. At one point,
she felt such a need to work away from the
world that she moved to an Icelandic vil-
lage where she was unknown and did noth-
ing but work. At the same time, she became
hungry for feedback and wished to share
her creations with others. “You make the
work in response to some need that you
have,” says Fordls, “but it is lonely if
nobody ever comes to see your work or
cares about it.” She currently makes her
home in New York City and finds, para-
doxically, that the crowdedness and het-
erogeneity of the culture gives her the men-
tal space she needs for making art. For the
reflection and self-nurturance that is the
other pole of the process, she feels lucky to
have the homogeneity, physical space and
landscape of Iceland to return to.
A painter who works primarily in
acrylics, using oils for accents, Adalsteins-
dottir has recently begun working in mural
paint that is impervious to weather. This is
in response to having her billboard size
paintings (12 feet by 16 feet) installed in
outdoor sculpture garden venues and hav-
ing to prepare the paintings to function as
outdoor works. A fine artist, Tordls is rep-
resented by Stefan Stux Gallery in New