Artist Jemma Gunning sails to 80° North, drawing amongst drifting sea ice and calving glaciers to capture the beauty and fragility of the changing Arctic.

The day we sailed as far north as we could is one I'll never forget. Reaching 80° North, our ship moored alongside an ice floe, and I was dropped onto a piece of floating sea ice to draw.

It felt like a total dream. Dramatic skies stretched overhead while the sea remained perfectly calm. As the floe gently drifted, I found myself ebbing and flowing with the ice, almost as though I were sitting on the belly of the ocean.

It was one of the most productive days of the residency. I couldn't stop drawing. The landscape was constantly shifting, the movement of the ice, the changing light and passing clouds, and I felt an urgency to record every fleeting moment before it disappeared.

Artist in residence

I had been reading about The Arctic Circle Residency for years, dreaming of one day making the journey north. My art practice has always been about recording change in places and landscapes that many people never get to experience. The Arctic felt like the natural next step.

For the residency, I travelled aboard a three-masted ship alongside other artists and researchers. It was an unforgettable voyage to a place that felt like the edge of the world.

I drew entirely from observation, trying to capture drifting sea ice, shifting light and ever-changing weather, fleeting moments in landscapes that are changing faster than most of us will ever witness.

"The Arctic feels like a place of profound paradox: a landscape of extraordinary beauty and fragility, yet one that is rapidly disappearing."

Arctic awe

The Arctic feels like a place of profound paradox: a landscape of extraordinary beauty and fragility, yet one that is rapidly disappearing. Standing amongst vast expanses of ice, it was impossible not to think about the connection between rising temperatures, melting ice and our continued reliance on fossil fuels. This tension between awe and loss became a central part of my experience and the work I created.

An unforgettable moment was standing beside the face of a glacier and hearing it calve. I'd seen glaciers high in the mountains before but witnessing one meet the sea made the scale of climate change feel immediate and deeply personal.

I believe art has an important role to play in communicating environmental change. It allows us to record, reflect and connect with places that many people may never experience firsthand. I hope my drawings and prints encourage others to look more closely and value these remarkable landscapes before they are changed forever.