
Fire & Ice is a journey into extremesβan ephemeral series created on a volcanic field and a glacial expanse in the heart of Iceland. Using only chalk and charcoal, I painted directly onto the Earth, letting the raw forces of nature shape the final form.
These portraits were born into the elements: one beside fractured lava rock, the other on creaking blue ice above hidden crevasses. Each was made in 1 weekβvulnerable to wind, sun, and meltβthen vanished with the next rainfall.
This project is about transience, transformation, and returning to the origin of art: earth, body, and spirit. It marks a return to my core after a year of commissioned workβan offering that asks what it means to create something sacred in a world that moves so quickly.
The result is a story etched into the land, captured in a short film, and now shared through special edition prints, pigment sketches, and intimate collectorβs artifacts.
FIRE & ICE
Special Edition PRINT Drop is NOW CLOSED
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Museum-quality GiclΓ©e on HahnemΓΌhle German Etching paper- hand signed with handmade pigment from Icelandic Minerals.
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Signature & Sketch
Every print includes a mini sketch on the back, drawn in the same handmade pigment used in Iceland
Each sketch is unique and ties directly to the Fire & Ice project themes
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Collector-tier prints include an additional mystery sketch on antiquated field note paper
Inspired by expedition sketchbooks and cartographic fragments
Created with Icelandic pigment, featuring topography, weather data, or symbolic field drawings from the trip

Fire&Ice
FREE LIMITED TIME MOBILE WALLPAPER PACK
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Fire and Ice film
PRINT GIVEAWAY CHALLENGE-CLOSED
Print Giveaway
Print Giveaway
FIRE AND ICE GALLERY
Photos taken by RYAN MUIR
Select images are available for purchase on Ryans Etsy Store and are available hereβ¦
FIRE
Title: BORN OF FIRE
Location: NΓ‘tthagi Lava Field, Southern Iceland
Coordinates: [approximate] 63.851Β° N, 22.254Β° W
Date Created: April 2025
Materials: Chalk, charcoal and source water.
Surface: Freshly cooled lava from the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption β layered with sharp black basalt and reddish-brown mineral ash
Process: Created in 2 days on-site using a pressurized sprayer and powdered pigment. The terrain was unstable, with shifting rock underfoot. Wind and weather shaped the texture and visibility of the final form. The piece began to fade within 48 hours.
Theme: The fire piece is a contemplation on rebirth through hardship. Created while I had the flu, the work channels resilience and raw ambitionβpainted into a surface forged by destruction.
ICE
Title: SURRENDER
Location: VatnajΓΆkull Glacier, Southeast Iceland
Coordinates: [approximate] 64.017Β° N, 16.430Β° W
Date Created: April 2025
Materials: Charcoal and glacial water.
Surface: Deep glacial ice marked by ancient crevasses and ash deposits from nearby volcanic eruptions
Process: The portrait was painted directly onto ice using a custom sprayer. Finding a safe access point took days due to shifting conditions. The drawing mimics natural glacial fractures, blending into the topography. It disappeared entirely with the next melt cycle.
Theme: Ice explores fragility, reverence, and spiritual stillness. Like an angel or guardian trapped in time, the figure rises from the glacierβs depthsβephemeral, ancient, and watching.




































