ART

Elli Þór Magnússon

Elli was born in Iceland, where the weather is rarely on your side, the ocean is unforgiving, and a perfectly reasonable person might spend half his life indoors. Fortunately, Elli has never been particularly interested in that approach.

He grew up developing an intimate knowledge of the land, the coastlines, and the peculiar moods of the North Atlantic. Somewhere along the way, he became obsessed with surfing, which in Iceland requires a certain disregard for personal comfort and an unreasonable amount of optimism. Countless hours have been spent chasing storms, studying tides, and driving down questionable roads in search of waves that may or may not exist.

He studied photography and art at Falmouth School of Art in England, and somewhere between freezing in the Atlantic and pointing his camera at other people doing the same, he became one of Iceland’s most sought-after surf photographers. His work has appeared in The Surfer’s Journal, among other places.

But a camera can only satisfy a man for so long. Elli also works in sculpture and painting, moving between materials and ideas with the same curiosity that sends him looking for waves. There is no grand manifesto behind it. He likes making things. He likes figuring things out. And he has a hard time leaving a good idea alone.

Given the choice, he’d probably rather be in the water or in the middle of making something than explaining any of it.

The work speaks for itself. The rest is weather, luck, and a lifetime spent paying attention.

Rachel Jonas

Rachel’s first love has always been her family. Of all the roles she has played in life, being a sister and a Tante remains her favorite.

She grew up in the middle of nowhere in Idaho, surrounded by forests and mountains, but with a restless streak and a curiosity about what lay beyond them. She read voraciously and imagined that one day, if she could sit still long enough, she might write a book. There is still time for that.

In the meantime, she has lived in New York and London, spent a summer with reindeer herders in Siberia, and traveled the world writing stories for magazines. Curiosity has always been her preferred education.

The ocean was calling long before she lived near it. These days, in Iceland, she spends as much time in the water as she can.

She works with photographs, words, wool, and resin, following her curiosity wherever it leads. She is rarely still, always making something, and still collecting stories.

For now, there are things to make, waves to be ridden, people to love, and a book that may yet get written.

Rachel’s felt pieces are inspired by the landscape around her and made with Icelandic sheep wool — a way of highlighting the connection between the nature of the land and those who live on it.