Icelandic Nature Day

Iceland and its people have been to a great extent shaped by the forces of nature. Icelanders have adapted to the interaction of fire and ice, weather and tides. They have also enjoyed the all-em- bracing presence of natural beauty and earned their livelihood from the abundant gifts of nature.

Icelandic Nature Day is celebrated on September 16th each year. Schools, institutions and associations are urged to commemorate the day, and the Minister for the Environment hands out awards and grants to deserving individuals and societies.

The motif of the miniature sheet is artist Eggert Pétursson’s painting of the rich vegetation in Tröllaskagi peninsula in northern Iceland. Eggert’s art is devoted to the Icelandic plant world and illustrates the minute and evanescent character of nature in which he finds inspiration for his painting. The Trölla- skagi headlands are among the snowiest regions in Iceland, yet rich with the diverse flora that has inspired many of Eggert’s paintings. The miniature sheet features the outlines of a part of the peninsula and more than 70 plant species, all painted in actual size. The painting shows the vegetation as it grows, from the plants high up in the mountains down the slopes to sea level. Eggert Pétursson (b.1956) studied at the Icelandic College of Art and Crafts and the Jan van Eyck Academie in Holland. His works have been exhibited widely. In 2007, Reykjavík Art Museum – Kjarvalsstaðir held an exhibition of his paintings and in 2016 there was a large exhibition of his works in the Pori Art Museum in Finland. The painting featured on the stamp belongs to the Saastamoinen Foundation and is a part of a permanent exhibition housed by the EMMA-Museum in Espoo, Finland.