There’s a bear in my latest drawing and I’m calling him Ísólfur for reasons probably only Icelanders and, moreover, only some Icelanders will know about.
I’m still looking into this myself but, anyway, here’s Ísólfur.
Isn’t it interesting how few features are needed to describe a bear? This reminds me of a scene in one of my novels set in Iceland, so here’s an excerpt:
Sometimes Jóhannes pondered the question- what is a bear? What part makes it what it is and how much do you physically need to have an actual bear? Because to him, over the years, the rug became the bear as if this rug was all that bear ever was. Some nights Jóhannes dreamt of a creature that paced and fretted, its roar haunting Iceland’s coastline as it waited, hoped, pleaded for respite. What could possibly be more dreadful than a stranding, alone for however many weeks, afloat on a small sliver of ice in relentlessly tumultuous ocean?
Rútur had the rug fashioned using as much fur as possible and with the head left attached. Jóhannes liked to think that the look on the bear’s face was not dread but joy and hope for an end to hunger and confinement. Or could it be a look of surprise from the gunshot? Whichever it was, that emotional instant had been caught and suspended forevermore.
So, I hope this post tantalises you to see the drawing I’m getting closer to finishing and to read my novel when it’s published.
And, happy day wishes to you all : )
Hidden Creatures Art 