Kathryn O'Kell — Iceland Birds 2017

3 to 26 September 2017

KATHRYN O’KELL carves and paints relief panels in lime wood. Birds are her passion and they are always exquisitely observed. Earlier this year she visited Iceland for the first time and was blown away by the experience. This exhibition is the result.

Arriving in Iceland on a winter’s afternoon gave tantalising glimpses of the landscape. It was already dark at 4 o’clock and snowing heavily. I was continually struck by the twilight world and wondered what the same country would be like in summer with long days and light skies. I hadn’t expected to see much birdlife but the more we wandered, the more we saw and we came to realise that these were also our birds, in different seasons.

Returning home after an all too short stay, Iceland remains in my soul. The elemental nature of the land makes a deep impression. We really did experience fire and ice, northern lights, however brief a view, and it had a strangely familiar feeling.

In many ways, Iceland is what we know but more so. I can’t wait to go back.