Fire and Ice: Landscapes & Lore of Iceland
Robyn Crawford
September 29 through October 24, 2026
Gallery III
Artists Collective | Spartanburg
Volcanoes and glaciers, waterfalls and rugged coastlines, ancient legends and unseen worlds come together in “Fire and Ice: Landscapes & Lore of Iceland,” a new exhibition by mixed media artist Robyn Crawford in Gallery III at Artists Collective | Spartanburg.
On view September 29 through October 24, the exhibition features approximately 15 works inspired by Iceland’s extraordinary landscapes and the myths and stories that have grown from them. Crawford combines resin, crushed glass, crystals, acrylics, photography, and other materials to create richly layered works that shimmer, reflect light, and change as the viewer moves around them. The exhibition will also include three-dimensional works such as glass vessels and jewelry.
Crawford will hold a reception during ArtWalk, when she will also give an artist talk about the exhibition and the experiences that inspired it.
The idea for “Fire and Ice” grew from a deeply personal journey Crawford shared with her mother.
“My mom was an earth science teacher for 35 years, and Iceland had long been a bucket-list destination for her,” Crawford says. Years earlier, her mother had missed an opportunity to visit the country, making their eventual trip together especially meaningful.
“It was an adventure of a lifetime I won’t ever forget,” Crawford says. “My work with glass and crystals, as well as my fascination with mythology and legends, meshes beautifully with Iceland.”
That connection between geology and mythology lies at the heart of the exhibition. Iceland is a landscape shaped by extremes, where glaciers stretch across volcanic terrain, geothermal activity bubbles beneath the surface, and waterfalls, geysers, lava fields, mountains, and coastlines create an environment that can appear almost otherworldly.
For Crawford, those natural forces provide both visual inspiration and a pathway into Iceland’s rich tradition of folklore.
Visitors to the exhibition will encounter interpretations of glaciers, volcanoes, geysers, coastlines, and other Icelandic landscapes alongside references to the elves, trolls, dragons, fairies, hidden people, and sagas that have helped shape the country’s cultural imagination.
“I hope the public will leave with a profound appreciation for the raw power and delicate beauty of Iceland,” Crawford says. “I want visitors to feel the vibrancy of the land itself, the contrast of blazing volcanoes and glacial ice, while also glimpsing the rich tapestry of legends that illustrate human curiosity, fear, and reverence for nature.”
The materials Crawford uses are particularly suited to that sense of movement and transformation. Resin creates translucent layers and depth. Crushed glass and crystals catch and scatter light. Metallic pigments shimmer as the viewing angle changes. Together, the materials give the surfaces of her work a constantly shifting quality that photographs cannot fully capture.
“My artwork is usually described as visually rich and layered,” Crawford says. “People notice the depth and texture in my work and how the materials play together to draw attention and encourage a closer look. It is best viewed in person. Photographs don’t do it justice.”
Creating those layers is also a slow process. Crawford spent more than six months developing the body of work for “Fire and Ice.” Because many pieces are constructed in multiple layers of resin and other materials, each stage must cure before she can continue to the next.
The result is an exhibition intended to reward close observation.
“I create pieces that combine resin, glass, and crystals, focusing on how light and texture change with each angle,” Crawford says. “Each work reflects the spirit of place and cultural legends, inviting viewers to discover the stories woven into the materials.”
Through the combination of landscape, light, texture, photography, and folklore, Crawford hopes visitors experience more than a visual representation of Iceland. She wants the exhibition to encourage reflection on the relationship between people and the natural world, and on the ways landscapes have inspired stories for generations.
“By blending light, texture, and mythic themes, ‘Fire and Ice’ transports visitors to a world where the harsh beauty of Iceland’s landscapes meets the magical possibilities of folklore and legend,” she says.
About Robyn Crawford
Robyn Crawford is a mixed media artist, photographer, educator, and creativity coach with more than 30 years of experience. Originally from the North Shore of Massachusetts, she moved to North Carolina after college in the early 1990s.
She studied at Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art, and Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. While pursuing photography, film, video, and animation, she also explored pottery, silversmithing, and other media, beginning the multidisciplinary approach that continues to characterize her work.
Crawford works with an eclectic range of materials, including clay, acrylics, mosaics, handmade papers, hot glass, metal, resin, crystals, and her own photography. Experimentation is central to her practice, with discoveries in one medium frequently inspiring ideas in another.
Her work has been exhibited throughout the Southeast, including regular exhibitions at Art Place Gallery in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and Tryon Painters and Sculptors in Tryon, North Carolina. She has exhibited at Artists Collective | Spartanburg for the past four years and has been a member of the Collective for five years.
In addition to her studio practice, Crawford teaches art classes, works as a creativity coach, and manages the gallery for the Art League of Henderson County.
“I love exhibiting at ACS,” Crawford says. “The gallery space is wonderful, and I appreciate the opportunity to show a new body of work. ACS is an amazing, talented group of people who really understand fostering relationships between artists, creating opportunities for them to show their work, and involving the community.”
Works in “Fire and Ice: Landscapes & Lore of Iceland” will range in price from $75 to $4,000.
To learn more about Robyn Crawford and her work, visit robyncrawfordart.com.