At the conclusion of an inspiring 2024 European Global Geoparks Conference in Keflavik, I participated in a one day Education Geotourism field trip through the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. The large coach bus had geologists from across Europe, and the tour was hosted by Ólafur Jón Arnbjornsson from GeoCamp Iceland. Ólafur Jón did a wonderful job of sharing insights as the bus drove our group from site to site.
I decided to try and do some observation drawing during the tour, to see how this might integrate into a tour that was designed to provide short stops at many geosites within the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. I found the seats on the bus a bit cramped for my tall stature, so located myself on the back seat that provided ample leg room.
I started out the day by trying to do some drawing from the bus as it moved down the highway, moving through the basalt exposures along highway 41 heading toward Reykjavik. As we sped down the highway, I could observe and draw the distant horizon, but had to draw only brief glimpses of the “tumuli” features, dome like swellings or mounds formed in cooled lava closer to the highway. I did notice that many of the tumuli had a central raised pipe-like feature, and wondered why this was..
My interest and intention in promoting observation drawing is the purposeful and reflective aspect it provides. Our stops at each site during the tour were usually between 15 and 30 minutes long, and I had to situate myself quickly and begin to draw while others walked off to explore the site.
On several occasions, after I’d started drawing – I could see that most people only looked at the features for about five seconds, and then raised their smartphones to capture the image of the scene. Others spent much more time positioning themselves for dynamic and fun selfies. I don’t think anyone other than me noticed the beautiful forms of the distant horizon, as the steam billowed out of the geothermal area.
At one site I decided to stay in the bus to complete a drawing, as I had an excellent view of the sedimentary features displayed along the road. As geologists do, many of my colleagues walked up to the distant features, and provided me with helpful scale for the large structures. As I drew, I noticed many bending over, picking up the rocks and examining the features. But many others seemed intent to pose in front of the features.
Drawings vs Phones
Digital photos from smartphones are obviously very convenient and important for capturing memories and sharing experiences on social media. However, they do not approach the level of observation and time that is involved in simply sitting to do a drawing of a geology site. The drawing may not have all the fine details that you can zoom into examine in a photo, but the time spent really looking while drawing, even from a far distance, provides a different level of appreciation of the place.
As my colleagues saw me drawing, I explained that I was exploring the use of observation drawing in a tour, I was not doing these drawings ‘as art’ but to show how observation drawing is important to geology. Like the drawings done in our field books, sketches to help our own understanding and record of observations. I happen to be trying to using ink wash media that is a bit more ‘artistic’ because that was of interest to me, but a pencil drawing would be just as engaging.
I was not doing these drawings ‘as art’ but to show how observation drawing is important to geology.
Everyone has a smart phone in their pocket, so it is easy to take pictures of beautiful geology places that we visit. However, I only saw one person take out a small notebook to make some notes, and didn’t see anyone else sketching. To encourage drawing during a guided tour, it would be helpful to explicitly encourage people to bring a small notebook and drawing tools, or perhaps have a few available if someone wanted to make a quick observation drawing.
The smartphone is helpful in sharing the drawings that are done. It’s just as easy to take a photo of the drawing once it’s done, and to show the drawing in the place – and share these on social media. The impact can be just as much as those fancy posed selfies.
Thank you
I completely enjoyed the tour of Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. It is an incredible landscape of our living earth. I have seen geology structures that I will never forget, and understand the challenges this region is facing with the activated extrusive period. Thank you to the guide, bus drive and conference organizers for providing such a wonderful experience.
On Facebook
As an outcome of inspiring discussions during this conference, I have created a Facebook page Drawing in Geoparks to share information and promote use of observation drawing in geoparks. Follow the page and share your experiences or questions, let’s build a community of geologists promoting the value of observation drawing.
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