Two Paintings of Iceland

"Jen"  Oil on Canvas, 20"w x 30"h

"Tectonic Plates-Iceland"  Oil on Canvas, 20"w x 30"h

Inspiration for artists comes from many places and a memorable visit to Iceland moved me to create numerous works of art.  Please look on my website (www.maryloudauray.com) to see some of that artwork.  

Pictured here are two oil paintings that were just juried into a show at the O’Hanlon Art Gallery in Mill Valley, California.  The first one, entitled “Jen”, depicts the entrance into the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa near Reykavik.  According to the website of the Blue Lagoon, the waters get their blue colour from the silica and the way it reflects light.  Admittedly, basking in the naturally warm waters was both calming and healing.  It is easy to see why people enjoy congregating there in any type of weather. 

The second oil painting illustrates a dramatic rift in the area in Iceland where you can see the results of the shifiting and drifting apart of two major tectonic plates above sea level. This process has been going on for millions of years.  How could one not paint this scene!  Enjoy!

COAL EMISSIONS AND MY IPAD

Here is some art created on my iPad of three coal plant smokestacks billowing with polluted smoke.  

Now here is the same work of art photoshopped!

Did you know that “coal plants are responsible for more than half of the US human-caused emissions of mercury?  Just 1/70^th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the first unsafe to eat.  A typical uncontrolled coal plan emits approximately 170 pounds of mercury each year.  However, activated carbon injection technology can reduce mercury emissions by up to 90 percent when combined with baghouses.  ACI (control) technology is currently found on just 8 percent of the US coal fleet”.   (from Union of Concerned Scientists)