Located at the head of Young Sound at approximately 74°15’44” N, 20°9’44” W, Sand Island is a small (1000ft x 1500ft) sandy terminal moraine, a remnant of glaciation. During the summer months, the island is a popular haul-out site for walruses that feed on clams in Young Sound, as well a nesting site for birds. I camped on the island for two weeks in August of 2010 with a walrus research team, and over the course of my stay sketched a full 360° panorama from the center of the island. It consisted of five 30″ x 9″ paper sheets sketched with graphite. I recently developed the drawings by tracing them onto Arches Cover paper, and completing them with ink and walnut washes. The concept was inspired both by cycloramas as well as by elevation drawings from old maps that early explorers used for navigation. They look best framed and all lined up in a row! Check them out if you can in my Ice Stories show at the Washington State Convention Center (up through January 2012). If you’re interested, the pieces are each $600, or $800 framed.

 Learn more about my time in NE Greenland in this series: 

•  High Latitudes Part 1: Onward and Upward
• High Latitudes Part 2: Daneborg, Base of Operations
• High Latitudes Part 3: Sand Island
• High Latitudes Part 4: Walruses
• High Latitudes Part 5: Polar Bear Encounters