The schooner Rembrandt van Rijn under a wall of glacier ice, Svalbard
The Rembrandt van Rijn in front of DahlbreenSvalbard · July 2026
The ice front of Austfonna with meltwater falling into the sea
Austfonna, 180 kilometres longPhotograph, Entry 046
A polar bear climbing over grey rock
Morning BearPhotograph, Entry 048
Walruses resting together on a beach
Protect the little one!Photograph, Entry 046
A tabular iceberg under a dark sky
Off NegribreenPhotograph, Entry 044
A dark arctic fox cub among rocks
The Arctic Blue Fox CubPhotograph, Entry 048
A humpback whale breaking the surface
A Kittiwake went in after something and it did not consider the whale.Photograph, Entry 046

A logbook of the North. Kept in paint, photographs, film and words.

Arctic Residents · Svalbard 2026 · in progressThe series →
Pencil sketch of an arctic fox's face
Arctic FoxSketch · Arctic Residents
Pencil sketch of a sitting polar bear looking up
Polar Bear, SittingSketch · Arctic Residents
Pencil sketch of a walrus resting on its flippers
WalrusSketch · Arctic Residents
Pencil sketch of a standing polar bear, head lowered
Polar BearSketch · Arctic Residents
The ice front of Austfonna with meltwater falling into the sea
Film · Svalbard reelJuly 2026

Film by Richard. Jellyfish footage by Maggie Puckett. Music: “Undone” by Ólafur Arnalds. © 2026 Nordstern. All rights reserved.

In progress

Ghosts of the Ice

Paintings made from photographs taken at 80°N. The pigment is thermochromic. Warm the surface and the image fades. Let it cool and the image returns.

The disappearance is not a metaphor laid over the painting. It is the painting.

Frame built and tested, Aug 2026 · Documentary in production · Original album

About the project
Ghosts of the Ice: a white polar bear painted on a blue ground, in the silver heated frame
Cold Warm
Heat the frame. The viewer decides how much to see.
Talks and residencies
  1. 4 Nov 2026Marin, CaliforniaTalk: “Creating a More Resilient Art Business”
    Marin Small Business Development Center
    38°N
  2. 16 Nov 2026 · 4:45 pmOberlin, OhioPublic lecture: “The Long Way Around”
    Studio Art, Oberlin College and Conservatory
    41°18′N
  3. 24 Apr – 10 May 2027Longyearbyen, SvalbardResidency: Spitsbergen Artists Center
    Back in the place I left in July, in a season I haven’t seen
    78°13′N
  4. 10–27 May 2027Odense, DenmarkResidency: Hollufgård Værksteder for Kunst og Kunsthåndværk
    Workshops for art and craft at the edge of Odense
    55°22′N
  5. 28 May – 2 Jul 2027Svendborg, DenmarkResidency: Brechts Hus
    The house where Bertolt Brecht lived in exile
    55°04′N
Logbook
The Rembrandt van Rijn at anchor under a grey sky
Entry 05327 Sep 2026

So You’re Going to Svalbard?

What to pack for Svalbard, what to leave at home, and what I would do differently on an Arctic expedition ship.

  1. A fjord in Svalbard seen from the airEntry 052 · 18 Sep 2026Day 16: Takk for turen!
  2. The entrance of the Svalbard Global Seed VaultEntry 051 · 16 Sep 2026Day 15: Please Remember to Sign Off
  3. The Rembrandt van Rijn below a glacier front, seen from the rocksEntry 050 · 14 Sep 2026Day 14: Days of Future Past
FilmSvalbard, July 2026. The best photos from the voyage. Music: “Overcome” by Skott.
Even the most urgent scientific data struggles to move people to action unless they truly care. Art creates that bridge: from awareness to empathy, and empathy to responsibility.
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Furthest north so far 80°N