The Artist

I am born in a small remote fishing village in the east of Iceland called “Little Moscow” This strange name came from the fact that a left-wing party controlled the village for 54 years. The moment I came into this world my father had just arrived from the 1948 Olympic games in London. He was having lunch with my brother in the sitting room while my mother gave birth to me in the bedroom.

It was quite strange to be brought up in “Little Moscow” in the middle of a western capitalist country. In those days the village was quite isolated. For the coldest winter months, it was only accessible by ship, so we got weeks old newspapers. In my home we got a newspaper called “The will of the Nation” no other papers to read. But because my father was head of the local party, we got regularly parcels from Moscow, with all kinds of books. Mostly in Russian which nobody understood. But occasionally they sent us big art books filled with wonderful paintings. I think these paintings ignited my lifelong passion for making art.”

From an early age I have had these strange surreal “flashes” at night and often during the day. I do not know where these flashes filled with ideas come from. I have used a lot of time with private tutors and through self study to find a way to make them come alive on paper.”

The pictures you see on omjgallery.com are born out of these flashes that have filled my life with streams of new ideas. And every picture sparks a poem which you can see at ARTWORKS

Olafur M