Greenland: Above the Arctic Circle at the Settlement of Saqqaq
Painting #14 - September 3, 2019
acrylic on canvas 20"W x 16"H
gallery wrapped/painted on edges
$400.00
Greenland has been in the news a lot lately since its glaciers are melting even more quickly than anticipated and also because the U.S. expressed interest in purchasing it from Denmark, both of which are concerning for various reasons. Thus, my husband Russell suggested I look through my Greenland photos for my next painting inspiration. Coincidentally, the week I worked on this painting was exactly four years from the dates that I was on an Arctic cruise in western Greenland with Russell and his
brother Ethan Golf and wife Brenda Chevalier-Golf. We decided to go to Greenland specifically because it was not a common place to visit and also its glaciers were melting.
Saqqaq means “the sunny side.” It has approximately 170 residents and the area has been inhabited by humans for several thousand years. The people there are mainly hunters, fishermen and whalers, with some also working in the tourist trade. What struck us about Greenland is that compared to, say Alaska, there was not a lot of wildlife in sight, at least in the areas we visited. This was due in large part to the natives hunting them for food, clothing, etc. Additionally, their houses are painted in bright loud colors, likely to offset the weather, which can be dreary much of the time. Greenland’s landscape is beautiful, but you definitely feel how isolated you are from the rest of the world.