CREATIVE RETREAT & ARTIST RESIDENCY
art • mind • science
Merel Klomp // Elmar Janse
Photographers
We, Elmar Janse and Merel Klomp, stayed as photographers and filmmakers at Arctic Canvas, and from the very first day we truly felt at home. It is an incredibly inspiring place, surrounded by an extraordinary landscape: on one side the breathtaking view of the Snæfellsjökull glacier, and on the other the open sea, where whales and orcas may appear if you’re lucky.
What immediately stood out to us was how thoughtfully the space has been designed. Even the placement of the windows reflects a deep consideration of how architecture and nature can be connected. Waking up in such a place already feels special, and on some nights we were even lucky enough to see the northern lights from our bed.
During our stay, we worked on The Glacier Project, a fine-art series exploring the sublime beauty of nature. Our artist residency at Arctic Canvas allowed us to deepen this work while being constantly immersed in the landscape that inspires us. Being so closely connected to the environment we are portraying made the process feel full circle, as if the landscape itself became part of the work.
During a field trip with one of the park rangers, we were able to witness the glacier from even closer and capture its raw beauty in a more intimate way.
We also had the honor of exhibiting our work at Snæfellsjökull National Park, close to Arctic Canvas. It felt like the perfect place, sharing our work with the local community, surrounded by such powerful and inspiring nature.
Beyond the work and the landscape, it was especially the people who made this experience so meaningful. We met so many inspiring and warm individuals whom we will not forget. We would especially like to thank Hedi and Birgit for making this experience possible and for their warmth and support throughout our stay.
We couldn’t have wished for a more beautiful and meaningful journey in Iceland.
Image by Merel Klomp & Elmar Janse
Ish Sveinsson Houle // Agnar Freyr Stefansson
Writer // Graphic Designer
Thank you so much for having us at Arctic Canvas. It is a truly incredible place you two have created. We are so sad to go, but we’re also very excited to share stories from here with friends in Reykjavik.
It has been a joy to take a breath and unplug from daily life, and we both have loved watching the mountains and the waves. This is a really special place. We can’t wait to share what we’ve made here with you both.
Takk fyrir okkur.
Image by Arctic Canvas
Nicol Vizioli
Visual Artist
To speak about Arctic Canvas is to speak about something almost miraculous.
I stayed for two weeks between November and December, at the darkest time of the year. The conditions were at times extreme, and the darkness unlike anything I had experienced before — not simply an absence of light, but something dense, almost physical. It was something I had to learn to understand, and once I did, it revealed an entirely new way of seeing.
The studio itself is extraordinary — a perfect shelter of wood and glass, minimal yet carefully curated. Warm, calm, and beautifully designed, it offers a space that supports both focus and reflection, with expansive views across the surrounding landscape.
Set between the quiet presence of Snæfellsjökull glacier and the vast North Atlantic Ocean, the environment is powerful and deeply immersive. The stillness, the shifting light, and the northern lights all become part of the experience.
This residency, especially at that time of year, is not for everyone. But for those open to it, it offers something rare — a depth of experience and connection that is difficult to put into words.
Image copyright Nicol Vizioli
Pauline May
Multidisciplinary Artist
My time in Snæfellsnes was a deeply transformative experience.
The raw presence of the landscape — the wind, the shifting light, the vastness of the peninsula — profoundly shaped my work and my perception of the body within nature. Facing these elements became both an artistic and deeply human experience.
The residency offered a rare space of concentration and freedom, allowing me to develop both a series of large-scale paintings and a performative video work in direct dialogue with the environment. It felt like a timeless bubble, a space where I could reconnect with my art, my creativity and my artistic language, but also with myself.
Coming alone allowed me to recentre, to take time, and to meet myself again through the experience of the landscape. In many ways, it felt like an artistic retreat — a moment outside of time, shaped by the powerful presence of nature that Iceland offers.
The intensity of these elements is truly unique and unlike anywhere else I have experienced. It was an intense and inspiring period of creation that will continue to resonate in my practice.
I would also like to thank you sincerely for your availability and responsiveness throughout my stay. Creating such a place for artists is truly precious.
I am certain that I will come back.
Image by Pauline May
Eydis Evensen // Einar Egils
Pianist & Composer // Director & Screenwriter
Surrounded with the ever so magical energy of Hellnar, we felt truly inspired, grounded, and energised during our time there. We both worked on various projects - I composed music for my first film score and Einar worked on a script that he’s been developing with his co-writer. We cooked plant based meals daily, explored the area around the studio and soaked in the natural beauty of the wondrous Snæfellsnes.
We wandered through our minds via mindfulness and Transcendental Meditation, and reflected on the current states of ourselves. Your beautiful studio has a wonderful soul to it and we could not recommend it enough to anybody who wishes to create, or just to simply be.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
We can’t wait to be back.
Image by Anna Maggy
Oysterland Studios
Design Studio
Arctic Canvas is a magic place, set between the Atlantic Ocean and the Snæfellsjökull glacier. Living and working where weather, light and sound are in constant motion creates a heightened sense of attention and presence. The landscape is not a backdrop, it is an active force, shaping how you observe, think and make. Time moves differently here. Distractions fall away, replaced by a deep focus.
The residency is carefully held, with spaces that balance openness and shelter. The hosting is generous yet unobtrusive, grounded in a clear understanding of creative practice. There is room for both solitude and exchange, without expectation or pressure.
Arctic Canvas is not just a place for production, it is also a place for recalibration. We left with new work, new perspectives, and a strong desire to return.
Image by Oysterland Studios
Bríet
Musician
Heartfelt thanks, memories were created. The beauty embraced me and I look forward to coming back.
Love, Briet
Bríet spent time at Arctic Canvas working on her new album. It was a real pleasure to host one of Iceland’s leading voices in contemporary pop music and we hope to have her back soon.
Image by Siljamagg
Bryan Adams
Musician
Hedi, love your place so much. And we saw whales!
Thank you, Bryan
Bryan Adams and his team stayed at Arctic Canvas during the shoot for his music video "Will We Ever Be Friends Again", from the album Roll with the Punches.
A number of scenes were filmed around the studio.
The inside double-page artwork of the album was also photographed at Arctic Canvas, with views toward Snæfellsjökull and Stapafell.
Bryan and his team were incredibly kind and friendly - a true pleasure to host, and such a memorable experience.
Image by Arctic Canvas // Album Artwork by Bryan Adams
Rose Pollozek // Pierre Vincent Braillard
Painters
Thank you for making this place available to us - a space where we could recharge and connect with such a rich and energising environment.
We truly appreciated how you designed it - a space that allows constant connection with nature. A place where nothing is missing, yet nothing is superfluous; created and decorated with great care and love.
It gave us the perfect setting to practise yoga and meditation, and to continue painting.
We could have stayed there for months…
Artwork by Rose Pollozek
Elena Santamaria
Filmmaker
Arctic Canvas is a magical place, a space to connect with nature and reconnect with your soul. Built in an extraordinary setting between glacier mountains and the ocean, I found it hard to choose a single window on which to rest my gaze. The positioning of both the studio and the house, as well as the interior design, invites a constant dialogue between indoors and outdoors; I can sense the thoughtful process of Birgit and Hedi behind the placement of the windows, each angled to fully embrace the landscape. The décor is minimal, allowing only nature to enter, with precious objects from the surrounding landscape.
I visited in November, a month when the sky glows with pink and orange hues throughout the day, making me feel as though I were in another world. At night, if the Northern Lights honour you with their presence and incredible colours, it becomes a dance with the spirits. It is nature stripped to its pure essence, pure beauty that leaves you in constant awe.
The days spent meditating, writing, and simply being, allowing whatever needed to surface to do so, were deeply transformative.
I feel so grateful and blessed to have shared this place and its magical energy.
Image by Arctic Canvas
Claudia Six
Sculptor & Puppeteer
This place is just full of magic and beautiful energy. My sleep was crazy good, my dreams extremely vivid, and my inspiration super high.
It really is like an otherworldly place, and I can only recommend staying at Arctic Canvas to work, explore the beautiful peninsula, or dream. Or for everything combined.
Image by Claudia Six
Anouk Ruffieux
Photographer (Photography & Watercolour Workshop)
Night has settled in, and we’re not entirely sure if we’ve taken the right path. Out of the darkness, a short-eared owl appears before us. We stop, mesmerized. What a beautiful sign! This magical encounter feels like the promise of a perfect week ahead.
After a calm and restful night, the morning light slowly unveils the beauty surrounding us in every direction. The volcano, the ocean, the golden shades of autumn, everything seems to glow. It’s impossible not to fall under the spell of this place.
Every day begins gently with three hours of watercolor in the studio, our cozy little nest that no one ever wants to leave. The house itself is a haven of comfort: a breathtaking view, a kitchen where we gather to cook and share meals for eight, laughter filling the air. Time stretches, soft and unhurried. We soak in the sun, the sea breeze, the quiet visits from crows and swans who come to greet us.
And then, too soon, it’s time to go. As we take the first turn on the road home, nostalgia settles in, the kind that only truly special places can leave behind…
Image by Anouk Ruffieux
Antonía Bergþórsdóttir
Multidisciplinary Artist & Ceramicist
It is incredibly precious and magical to have the opportunity to stay and create beneath Snæfellsjökull. Arctic Canvas is such a unique place with an amazing creative studio and, located at the very end of the peninsula, where the journey itself becomes part of the experience, travelling through diverse landscapes of geothermal clay mountains and moss covered lava fields before finally arriving at this glacier haven, a place that invites you to sink deeper into the ground and into the work.
During my time there, I gathered materials such as clay, sand, pumice, bog iron and created clay sculptures, and Snæfellsjökulormurinn (the Snæfellsjökull Serpent) was exhibited at Herma Art Gallery August 2025.
I invited my dear collaborator Íris María Leifsdóttir, we create together under the name Augnablikin. We travelled to the glacier, collected sounds and materials such as glacier ice and created paintings and videos documenting the melting of Snæfellsjökull through a microscope.
Two of the paintings, made with materials from the glacier, Arctic Canvas land, Ölkelda and Búðir, were exhibited at Samtíningur December 2025.
I am forever grateful for my time beneath the glacier and look forward to returning.
Þúsund þakkir.
Image by Antonia Berg
Ásgeir Trausti // Eydís Evensen
Musicians
Ásgeir Trausti, Eydís Evensen, and their team came to Arctic Canvas to shoot the music video for "Dimmuborgir"
The entire video was filmed in the surroundings of Arctic Canvas on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
It was an absolute pleasure to host them and to see our landscape become part of the story. Seeing familiar surroundings through their eyes is something special.
Tanja Nebel
Bodytherapist & Psychologist (Silent Retreat)
Imagine you are waking up to the infinity of the ocean, the play of the waves along the lava stone cliff, whales and dolphins circling in the distance, auroras dancing at night, and constantly you feel this steady and mysterious presence of Snæfellsjökull, one of Iceland’s most powerful glaciers and volcanoes.
Welcome to Arctic Canvas.
To me this is paradise on earth. The fusion of human coziness, luxurious simplicity, a warm nest that holds such abundance on all realms, while being surrounded by the raw wild nature of Iceland, tingles my creativity. It brings forth a deeper knowing of who I am and what wants to come through me.
I am in love with this place and so grateful to Birgit and Hedi and the warmth and care I feel in their welcome. I know I will return, again and again.
Image by Tanja Nebel
Rebecca Douglas
Photographer
Truly from the deepest part of my being – thank you. This residency at Arctic Canvas has been nothing short of transformative. The space you’ve created here is a sanctuary for creative unfolding, a place where time stretches, senses heighten and ideas begin to breathe with the rhythm of the earth, sea and sky.
During my time here, I was able to create a powerful installation for Sjórinn Talar – The Sea Speaks forming part of my exhibition at Whales of Iceland, collecting ghost gear from the coastline to craft a 4-metre-wide life-size ‘Ghost Fluke’. This work, born from the land and shaped by the sea, simply wouldn’t have been possible without the stillness, support and inspiration found here.
I feel forever grateful to have been held here in such a beautifully considered environment – one that honours both the artist and the wild. It’s a rare and powerful gift.
Image by Rebecca Douglas
Marita Stocker // Mitja Hagelüken
Film Director // Cinematographer
Arctic Canvas is a truly special place! We are still completely filled with the overwhelming nature surrounding the house, the inspiring silence, and the aesthetic design of the spaces. Relaxation set in right after our arrival and stayed with us throughout our entire stay.
A place for pausing, recharging, and creating. Perfectly equipped and warmly hosted by Birgit and Hedi.
We will be back!
Film by Mitja Hagelüken
Phil Garcia
Photographer
My residency time at Arctic Canvas was a week out of time, surrounded by creative vibes in an untouched nature scenery.
Inspiration was high and time flew between waves crashing on the sharp shores, wildlife encounters, photography, filming and drawing.
Thanks to Hedi, Birgit, Iris and the foxes to help make this week unforgettable.
Image by Phil Garcia
Tanya Behar
Art Director
My time at Arctic Canvas was nourishing, healing, inspiring and wonderful in all ways possible.
I really needed to slow down, enjoy the quiet and be immersed in the serene landscape. Thank you for sharing such an incredible space with the creative community.
I leave with my heart full.
Image by Tanya Behar
Marion Grädler
Costume Designer
My time at Arctic Canvas was pure magic. I was lucky enough to spend two weeks here and count them among the most beautiful of 2025. Surrounded by the sea and mountains, ideas for my Fair Fashion label fuffi_brand flowed effortlessly from me. Inspired by the black lava stone and glacier-covered mountain peaks, I eventually designed a wool bomber jacket in exactly those colors. Arctic Canvas is a very special place, perfect for those who seek peace and solitude amidst breathtaking natural forces. What struck me most profoundly was the humbling realization that one must always yield to these forces, regardless of any plans for the day. Thank you, Hedi and Birgit, for your heartwarming hospitality and your insider tips around Snaefellsnes.
I hope I can return one day.
Image by Marion Gradler
Fiona Caley
Photographer
I just wanted to say how much I valued my time with Arctic Canvas.
To say my time there has shifted something within me, wouldn’t be far too from the truth. I was reminded of what my inner and creative life could be like if I were able to live closer to nature in an environment where the landscape dominated everyday interaction.
To have the luxury of time, space and the opportunity to both disconnect and connect gave me something that has stayed with me, beyond my time there.
Thank you
Image by Fiona Caley
Sibyl Urbancic
Musician
This place is as if made for me.
Air, light, also darkness, later,
Freedom, Quietness, Indipendente,
Breathtaking Landscape.
Time stands still.
A wonderfully equipped bright and warm place
for indoor rest and activity,
For reading, writing, thinking, dreaming,
for breathing, being.
Time Stands Still
(From John Dowland’s Third Book of Songs, 1603)
Time stands still with gazing on her face.
Stand still and gaze, for minutes, hours and years to her give place.
All other things shall change but she remains the same,
Till heavens changed have their course and Time has lost his name….
Image by Arctic Canvas
Aloha Magdalena
Bodywork Therapist
It is still hard for me to believe that such a perfect place exists. I absolutely love everything about Arctic Canvas. This place heals my soul. I had my massage retreat there in October and I cannot imagine a better place for a small retreat (this place is perfect for yoga, massage, art, voice and movement etc. ), or for holidays with friends, or even a peaceful time alone. The location of this place is perfect - far enough from neighbours to give you the feeling of 'being in the middle of nowhere', but close enough to the village of Hellnar, so that we could take a beautiful walk to the local coffee shop. The studio is gorgeous, stylish and spacious, with a breathtaking view of the glacier on one side, and of the ocean on the other side (with just a few minutes walk to the cliffs or a small beach). We could see both the sunrise and the sunset from the studio, and I can't tell which is more beautiful . If you are looking for a place that would be peaceful and quiet, comfortable and beautiful, and with the best view from every window - this is the place. And, I also want to mention that the owners, Birgit and Hedi, are wonderful humans, super helpful, warm and kind, and very dedicated to creating not just an amazing place, but also beautiful, unforgettable experiences for their guests. I hope to have a chance to spend time in Arctic Canvas again.
Image by Aloha Magdalena
Nina von Korff
Physchologist - Creative Retreat
A magical place amidst wild, rugged beauty. Birgit has created an oasis at the end of the world, unlike any other. The high windows of the studio offer fantastic views: on sunny days, a charming alpine landscape at the foot of the glacier, framed by the sometimes roaring Atlantic. On gray, rainy days, the studio is always warm and endlessly quiet. If the seagulls or arctic terns give out warning cries, you might even spot an arctic fox. The vastness of the endless coastline leaves a deep impression. Only the seemingly disturbed gulls or terns at this picturesque, untouched place might get a little unpleasant during walks, swooping down—but a hat or umbrella provides good protection.
The studio is located in an extraordinary spot in Snaefellsnes, in complete seclusion yet within walking distance of Hellnar, a small, historic village that, for good reason, has already attracted a few artists. Here, a charming little café in the harbour offers the best waffles and hot chocolate I have ever enjoyed in my life. Birgit and Hedi are very attentive hosts, offering plenty of tips and an excellent guide to the area. It couldn’t be more perfect for those seeking solitude, to rediscover and reawaken their inner world
Image by Arctic Canvas
Andreas Teichrieb
Bodytherapist
The house is a dream for any form of retreat, tranquillity, inner work, or accompanying work - or simply as a wonderful spot to explore a bit of Iceland. You are surrounded by mountains and the sea. I can wholeheartedly recommend everyone experience this place at least once!
Thank you!
Image by Arctic Canvas
Benjamin Kneihs // Eva Maria Hopper
University Professor // Architect
A place of wonderful tranquillity and seclusion, set in a breathtaking landscape that shifts character with every change of light and weather. Depending on where you look from the house, you’re met with strikingly different impressions – of glacier, lava, heath, and ocean – framed by both large and tiny windows. When the wind and ocean are calm, the silence is profound, broken only by the occasional calls of colourful birdlife.
Just offshore, orcas patrol the coast.
If you're looking to truly unplug and get away – whether for a short while or something longer – this is the place.
Image by Arctic Canvas