Dominik wants to reach out and share this experience with collectors and admirers. This page shows images and text from Dominik as he ventures through extreme conditions. Check back daily for updates and enjoy his latest creations on his page.

TRAVEL BLOG:

April 10, Ushuaia, Argentina

Today was my last day in Argentina and what a day. It looked like Christmas! The size of snowflakes was over inch in diameter and all mountain ranges of Tierra del Fuego are sparkling white with fresh snow. Winter arrived at the end of the world. This trip truly exceeded my expectations. Both trips to Antarctica and Patagonia were exceptional and I fulfilled my childhood dream of visiting those places one day. I feel alive and full of creative energy. I am looking forward to painting some large studio paintings later on this year of these wild landscapes. Both Chile and Argentina are wonderful places to travel. I met exceptional friendly people with great sense of hospitality. One of my highlights of the trip was meeting a well known American photographer Jon Cornforth with whom I spent several days photographing and painting in Argentina. Jon opened my eyes to some more complex aspects of landscape photography. Over all, I am sad to leave this place but also I happy to be arriving in British Columbia at the height of spring. This is my last entry into the travel blog before I board the plan tomorrow to fly home to Vancouver. It was a joy and privilege to share my experiences with all of you.

April 9, Torres del Paine, Chile

Today was a farewell to the park, as I had to make my way to Ushuaia. I gave my friends a ride to Puerto Natales as they continued on to Los Glaciares National Park. Thirty kilometers before Puerto Natales I caught a flat tire, that was third one in last few days. Two tires were patched up including a spare one. When I was pulling my spare tire out of the trunk of the car I noticed that it was also deflated. I guess the tire guy in the park did not do a good job. So we are at the side of the road with no tires. Since I figured that those two tires were already done I decided to drive on the flat one as far as the rubber would hold on the wheel. I always wondered how long it would take for the rubber tire to completely explode. Well, it took 15 kilometers until we hit metal. So we put on a “new” flat spare and luckily arrived at Puerto Natales. They had a tire shop there and were able to change and rotate my two tires to brand new ones. By noon I left my friends and drove straight though Patagonia crossing the border to Argentina and arrived safely in Ushuaia at 9PM.

April 8, 2007  Torres del Paine, Chile

 This morning we chased the sunrise over the Torres, unfortunately there was no direct warm light on the mountains. Maybe tomorrow the photography will more successful. The rest of the day was spent hiking to the viewpoint of Grey Glacier at Lago. Grey at the western part of the park. We saw some massive icebergs floating in the water, which calved of from the face of the glacier.

April 7, 2007 Torres del Paine, Chile

 This morning I painted the river valley flowing through the Torres del Paine. There were beautiful dark purple shadows contrasting with brilliant yellow cast light. Later in the day I met up with two old Ontario College of Art friends, Elzbieta and Dawn who were visiting the park also. Elzbieta is well known Toronto landscape artist. In the afternoon we hiked to a spectacular set of falls and as usual accompanied by tremendous amount of wind.

April 6, 2007  Torres del Paine, Chile

 I woke up again in one of my favourite spots right under the Torres. The sunrise was spectacular and decided to hike up to one of the lookouts of the Torres Range. Fortunately there was no wind today and painting was extremely relaxing. Since the shapes of the mountains are so wild, the constant changing light created beautiful dramatic shadows.

April 5, 2007  El Calafate, Argentina

 This morning I drove to Moreno Glacier hoping to catch a sunrise light over the ice. Unfortunately it got clouded and I did not get many photographa. After returning to El Calafate, I resupplied with groceries and drove south to Torres del Paine National Park. I will spend few more days here before going back to Ushuaia.

April 4, 2007  El Calafate, Argentina

I stayed in El Calafate, walking the city and enjoying my hotel room with a beautiful view of the lake.

April 3, 2007 El Calafate, Argentina

 Today I drove to El Calafate and booked myself into a beautiful hotel overlooking Lake Argentina. I was tired after several days in the mountains and needed to recharge my batteries with soft bed and warm shower.

April 2, 2007  Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

 I hiked today in the western part of the park to the view of Cerro Torre mountain. It was a pleasant sunny day. The forest is turning red creating beautiful visual effects against the blue and purple of the far away mountains. Even so, it was a sunny and warm day in El Chalten; up on the tundra it was Gore-tex conditions. As the sun moved through the day, the mountains became less defined and emerged in solid colours of blue-grays. Today is my last day in the Los Glaciares NP and tomorrow I am heading to El Clafate on my way to Torres del Paine NP and then on back to Ushuaia.

April 1, 2007  Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

 Today was more of  a relaxing and slow day. After so many days of hiking in the mountains my body finally is starting to feel tired. So I gave my legs a day to recuperate and only walked short distance to spectacular set of falls. I am always fascinated by the contrast of cascading water against the wet dark rocks. It is always a very challenging thing to paint a particular geological structure, which would truthfully depict its form and texture. Waterfalls are for me always places where I feel most a peace, witnessing never-ending transitions.

March 30, 2007  Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

 Today I hiked into the valley of Rio Tore to paint cascading waterfalls from the Huemul Glacier. It was a calm beautiful day. I sat on gigantic bolder that fell off from the mountainside eons ago. Moving water is such magical sight to observe. It carves and changes the landscape over the thousands of years to be a source of life for the planet. Waterfalls are very significant part of my artistic inspiration. It brings me a necessary time of rejuvenation that replenishes my senses and my soul.

March 30, 2007,  Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

Today I hiked deep into the park to the base of Cerro Tore and Fitz Roy mountains. Below a cascading glacier was an emerald lake named Lake de Los Tres. The wind in this spot was so strong that for the first time in my life I saw a waterfall being blown off sideways losing its gravity. Since the hike was about 4 hours one way, I only did one painting on location. The walk through the mountains and low tundra was magical with every angle presenting new compositions. I will be staying in the park for few more days. By now, I have a good routine and am starting to get to know the language of the land around me.

March 29, 2007, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina 

Today I drove to the north end of the park at the Lake del Desierto and hiked to the view point of Huemul Glacier. There were great vistas of the Rio de les Vueltas. Both sides of the valley at higher elevation are turning red and remind me somewhat of northern Ontario. During painting my second painting of today I had my first snowfall here, but it only lasted few minutes. I am really enjoying the park as I am exploring more and more of it.

March 28, 2007, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina 

 Today I hiked up the river valley in the northern part of the park. There was only small incline in elevation but I was rewarded with amazing view of Piedras Blancas, a beautiful glacier lake connected to the river below. The wind was so strong that this time I had to support my easel box by leaning forward and pushing it with my chest against the wind.

March 27, 2007, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

 Today I hiked to a spectacular viewpoint overlooking the famous mountain of Fitz Roy 3405. It a pure vertical rock emerging like a shark tooth out of the glaciers below. As usual, wind was my constant companion but I managed to find a sheltered spot between large boulders.

March 26, 2007, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina

This morning I hiked to a spectacular waterfall cascading from the side of the mountain to catch a first morning light. Painting in that location was a peaceful and joyful experience. Later on in afternoon, I hiked the cliff that overlooks the Fitz Roy river valley. The autumn colours are starting to show and it an incredible joy for me to paint during that season.

March 25, 2007,  Los Glaciares  National Park, Argentina

  Today I arrived at El Chalten, it is a lovely little town at the heart of the park. Here are two legendary mountains: Fritz Roy and Cerro Torre. I found a nice campsite near the town and will explore for the next few days different trails into the park. It is somehow strange to experience fall here, when back in Canada, I will be going back to full spring in Vancouver. My plein-air painting season is very much extended by such travel arrangements. I been on the road and on the ocean for few weeks and I am starting to feel at home here in this landscape. It always takes days to emotionally translate the language of each place into a painting. Argentina and Chile are great places to travel. It is amazingly clean here with high environmental consciousness. I have so many ideas for studio paintings from this trip that my mind and my head are getting itchy for studio time back at home. I will need many months to transfer all these impressions into large canvases.

March 24, 2007, El Calafate, Argentina

Today started early again with photography session of sunrise over Moreno Glacier. It is beautiful ice formation coming right into the waters of Lake Argentina. The rest of the day was spent painting the glacier and later on exploring the town of El Calafate. It is the Argentinean equivalent of our Banff. It is a gateway to the national park with many outdoor stores and great restaurants. It is a modern town with contemporary architecture and it’s easily visible that its citizens take pride in their surroundings

March 23, 2007, Torres del Paine, Chile

I just wanted to share with you some of the picturesI took at sunrise this morning. It lasted only 5 minutes, but it was worth a hike. Later on today I am heading to El Calafate in Argentina, which is a gate way to Los Glaciares National Park.

Sunrise over Torres del Paine

March 22, Torres del Paine, Chile

This morning started rather early, at 5:30AM. My goal was to capture a sunrise light hitting the wall of the mountain panorama. The photos of that morning are here below. In space of less then an hour I shot 150 pictures. The day turned rather gray later on in afternoon and towards the evening magnificent wind and rainstorm moved over the mountain.

March 21, Torres del Paine, Chile

Magnificent day, but full of wind. I am trying to keep low to the ground from being blown over from the mountain ridge. The area is full of beautiful lakes, which are all connected and sparkling with amazing colours of turquoise blue and green.

March 20, Torres del Paine, Chile

Today I moved campsites and drove southwest to Lago Pehoe where there is one of the most classic views of all Patagonia.

Monday, March 19, Torres del Paine, Chile

Today was a wonderful day. Weather finally cleared up and morning was sunny and warm. The wind was as persistent as ever. I decided to do a classic hike the base of the Torres, which was about 7 km mostly up hill. Although the last leg of the hike was tiring because it was scramble over large boulders, the view over the ridge was most rewarding. It became obvious right away how big the towers are and how imposing they are against the surrounding landscape. I found a quiet spot away from the winds and completed two paintings, working both with vertical and horizontal compositions. The hike back was shorter in time but very demanding on the knees since it was all downhill with the weigh of my backpack.

Sunday, March 18, 2007, Torres del Paine, Chile

Today was very quiet day. Mountains were covered in fog and mist and for most of the day there was a heavy rain. Only in the late afternoon was I able to come out of the tent and do a painting of sunlight coming through stormy clouds. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to go to the base of the towers. I guess I’ll wait and see.

Saturday, March 17, 2007, Torres del Paine, Chile

Today was a magnificent day, which started with a beautiful rainbow at 7 am over the Towers. I took a less traveled route hiking which lead me to a great view of the mountain walls beautifully contrasting with the rich foreground. This time I stayed low to the ground and anchored my paint box with heavy stones. It was a wise precaution since the wind picked up with great force in no time. For many hours, I was keeping low and completed two very good sketches. By the end the session, I felt like my soul was blown away from my body. I heard of winds in Patagonia but to experience it “first person” is quite another story. One of the reasons I am writing this travel blog is to share with you some of the challenges and joys I experience while I am on the land. On many occasions it is a very solitary experience, but also I very much enjoy sharing it with others. While I sit on the side of the mountains, I experience range of emotions. It is then when some of my deepest reflections come to me. My painting puts me in the state of temporary meditation, which I like to call a “Zone”. It is a special place where the artist finds himself at peace with himself and the outside world. On many occasions it is also painful experience since solitude brings me a wide range of unfiltered truth to heart.

Friday, March 16, 2007, Torres del Pain, Chile

I spent the night by the side of the country road near Puerto Natales. It is a small town on the edge of the fjord. From here I already could see rising mountains of Torres del Paine. After getting some supplies in town, I continued north across rolling hills. On the horizon, magnificent mountain ranges were shimmering in sunlight. Here and there the landscape was dotted with emerald green lakes. After a while I stopped to paint an incredible view, but soon enough discovered a new challenge in painting. Half way through my painting, an amazingly strong wind started to blow from the north. Its strength in no time overturned my easel, knocking my dirty turps all over the nearly finished painting. So that was end of that session.

For the next attempt, I learned to keep low to the ground and avoided using my tripod. I don’t like losing paintings that way, but it was just Mother Nature. When I finally arrived at the park, it was late afternoon. There was a beautiful campground right under the spectacular view of the towers (Torres). It was nice finally to be still and not drive any more. As I looked at these legendary mountains, I realized that I dreamt of visiting this place since I was a young boy. In a grade 5 geography class I saw the views of those mountains and learned some facts about Patagonia. Already then I made my self a promise that I would come here. It is like seeing a famous painting for the first time. I am just thrilled. To celebrate, I exposed my self once again to the force of the wind and painted a panoramic view of the Torres in the evening light. It is a day worth remembering.

Thursday, March 15, 2007  Magallanes Chile

 I crossed the Argentine-Chile border with out any difficulty. People are really friendly here. I continued north toward the Baha Azul to catch a ferry across the Strait of Magellan. As I continued north the landscape became flat with wide expanses of steppe. The views were not unlike Alberta, also dotted with oil wells. The roads are mostly gravel here and dust is unbelievable. As I drove I saw convoys of trucks bringing gas and supplies to southern Argentina, otherwise traffic is really sparse. For the night I found beautiful campsite overlooking the south western plains. As morning came I woke up with the warm sun hitting my tent. It was perfect morning, calm and full of bird songs. I painted the view fascinated by the play of light on tall grasses in the foreground. I am truly enjoying the benefits of digital technology. In the same day I paint, photograph and forward my work through email and you, as viewers, are able to see it within a day on this site.

After I crossed the Strait, which only took half an hour, I continued west to Punta Arenas. It is large city that had its peak of importance during the time before the Panama Canal was open. It is there major ships from all over the world docked and passed by to either side of the ocean. In the city I went in search of turpentine, which proved to be a little bit of a challenge especially with the limited Spanish I have. But I left with 4 litres and I am set till the end of the trip. For rest of the evening I continued north to Puerto Natales, which is a gate way to Torres del Paine Park.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007  Rio Grande Argentina

 Today I left Ushuaia on my way to Chile. It was a beautiful drive through Tierra del Fuego Mountains. I continued along Lake Fagnano through village of Tolhuin north to Rio Grande City on the coast of Atlantic Ocean. As I was driving north the landscape change dramatically to rolling hills finally opening to huge open prairies stretching all the way to the ocean. I passed through enormous cow and horse ranches with out a soul around. In the afternoon I stopped at the beautiful vista and painted the rolling hills with mountains in the far horizon. It is a definitely vast country not unlike province of Alberta or BC. Most of the roads are gravel so I feel at home as if driving through the northern Canada.

Lake Fagnano

Monday, March 12, 2007 

 Today I was exploring the vicinity of town of Ushuaia. This is a port town located on Beagle Channel surrounded by Tierra de Fuego Mountains. Today was also a day of preparation for a trip north through Chile and then on to Argentina to visit some of the National Parks. The weather so far is fantastic, sunny and warm.
 

 I am still overwhelmed by my experience in the Antarctica. It was so far the most beautiful sight I ever seen in my life; its beauty is so majestic that I feel so humbled and honored to witness it. The connection of wildlife to the land itself is so breathtaking; the continuity and single necessity of life here is heart stopping. Observing penguins is a great lesson in life. The endurance that those creatures have against the harshest environment on earth is truly inspiring but also the commitment they have to each other and the collective. The connection they have with their mates and their young of springs is truly inspirational.

 In Paradise Bay I observed whales breaching the water surface against gigantic glaciers feeding into the ocean and was astonished at the beauty of Mother Nature. Tomorrow, Patagonia!!!

Tierra Del Fuego Mountains		View of the Beagle Channel

Friday, March 9, 2007
 

 Just returned from the second voyage. We had incredible weather, but the first two days of crossing the Drake Passage were very stormy. We had the same landings but this time we did it in reverse timing to the previous trip.

 
Painting on Doyle Glacier

Thursday, March 8, 2007
 

Painting at Detail Island

Fur Seal

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Painting on Peterman Island

Lemair Channel

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Neko Harbour	Neko Harbour	Danco Island
Paradise Bay	Paradise Bay	Paradise Bay
Paradise Bay	Paradise Bay	Paradise Bay

Thursday, March 1, 2007

  Today we attempted a landing at Diego Ramirez Archipelago located 60 nautical miles south west of Cape Horn. Due to the high seas the zodiac landing was not possible and we continued on to Ushuaia via Cape Horn.

Wednesday, Feb 28, 2007

  We are on our way back to Ushuaia through the Drake Passage, the seas are calm and the sky is sunny.

Tuesday, Feb 27, 2007

  Today we sailed to an island, Deception, an active volcanic center of the South Shetlands. It is ring shaped and 9 miles in diameter, enclosing the large harbour of Port Foster. Port Foster is also the caldera of the ancient volcano. Our ship entered the caldera through narrow passage known as Neptune’s Bellows. Inside is Whaler’s Bay, which was used by whalers at the turn of 20th century. What remains on the shore are old rusting boilers, some huts and equipment. Most of it is cover by ash when the Deception Island erupted in the late Sixties. In the late afternoon we landed at Half Moon Island where Argentine Base Camara is located. The island is crescent shaped is a home to more then 3000 pairs of chinstrap penguins and fur seals.

Monday, Feb 26, 2007

  This morning we made a zodiac cruise among Iceberg Graveyard of Pleneau Bay. For the first time I encounter Leopard seals. Magnificent creatures, but keep your fingers above the water. Later on we landed on Peterman Island in the Wiilhelm Archipelago, home to Adelie and Gentoo penguins. In the afternoon we sailed to Port Lackroy, an old British station on Goudier Island.

Sunday, Feb 25, 2007

  Today we sailed southbound and crossed Antarctic Polar Circle. It is a parallel of latitude on surface of the earth at 66 33.6° South, which lies 2606 km from the South Pole. In the afternoon we landed at Detail Island, which was used as Surveying and Geology Base in the late 1950’s. Towards the evening we started to sail north among magnificent gigantic icebergs.

Saturday, Feb 24, 2007

  Today we did three zodiac landings. Finally dry land! The day started early landing on Denco Island. It is a one-mile long island that lies in the southern part of the Errera Channel. It was my first encounter with Gentoo penguins. In the afternoon we continued to Neko harbor and is our first Continental landing on Antarctic continent. This bay also contains spectacular Devil Glacier, which during our visit calved several times causing small tsunamis. At the end of a day we sailed into Paradise Harbour, which offered spectacular views of snow- capped mountains reflected in a calm ocean.

Friday, Feb 23, 2007

Not feeling very well, appetite is gone but I am attempting some painting outside. One more day and we enter Antarctica when we cross Antarctic Convergence. Calm waters ahead of us!

Thursday, Feb 22, 2007

  We are in the middle of the Drake Passage. It is the ocean gap between South America and Antarctica and some of the roughest waters on earth. I try to spend my time outside following the line of horizon. The waves are higher than the ship and I am standing at the stern of the ship observing the ship’s wake and Russian sailors doing chin ups. It is impossible to paint since you need to hold on with two hands to the railings to stop from following down.

Wednesday, Feb 21, 2007

  We left port Ushuaia at 7:00 pm south bound through the Drake Passage on board M/V Lyubov Orlova. The unknown is ahead of me. The new continent!

TRAVEL ITINERARY for Antarctic & Patagonia 2007:

Dominik J. Modlinski embarks on remarkable journey to the End of the World - Antarctica. Dominik will travel to Antarctic Peninsula on board of Russian ice strengthen ship Orlova. Dominik will be an Artist in residence for two voyages on Orlova from February 21 to March 12.

Upon leaving the ship in Ushuaia on the 12^th of March Dominik embarks on the solo painting trip through Patagonia. Patagonia is located in the southern region of the Republic of Argentina and Chile, where man co-exists with the most bountiful and diverse nature one can imagine. Where everything is measured by immensity and beauty: from the large extensions of plains and forests to the challenging snow-capped mountains; from the fertile valleys to the wide seashores; from the sequence of magnificent lakes to the impressive glaciers.

Dominik is planning to visit such places, as Tierra Del Fuego N.P. and Los Glaciers N.P. Dominik will be painting plain-air using his wet on wet technique of oil on board. The uniqueness of Dominik’s approach to his painting is that he always embarks on wilderness journeys to some of the most remote wilderness areas of the world. He carries his art supplies either in his backpack when he leaves for multiday expeditions or in his sea kayak when he explores the west coast of Canada and Alaska. This time through his paintings he will examine the similarities of mountain ranges of Patagonia to its equivalent in British Columbia and Alaska.

Days 1 & 2: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Arrive in Ushuaia and transfer independently to your hotel; explore at your leisure in this frontier port. Next morning, enjoy a guided tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park, home to Caracaras, Black-faced Ibis, Magellanic Woodpeckers and the Fuegian red fox, among other species. Walk seaside paths through guindo forest and by mountain lakes on the Chilean frontier. Then learn more about local culture and history over a traditional Argentine asado barbecue. In late afternoon, your Expedition Team welcomes you aboard your ice-strengthened ship as we sail into the scenic Beagle Channel to begin your Antarctic adventure.

Ushuaia, Patagonia Argentina	Cerro Torre Los Glaciares National Park, Patagonia, Argentina	Patagonia

Days 3, 4 & 5: Drake Passage and South Shetland Islands

We cross the famed Drake Passage. We also cross the Antarctic Convergence, a biological barrier where cold polar waters sink beneath warmer waters from the temperate zones. Expect to sight the South Shetland Islands, lying just to the north of the Antarctic Peninsula, late in the afternoon on Day 4. On our planned landings you will explore penguin rookeries and have chances to spot Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals on the beaches or hunting their prey. We may also visit one of the many research bases in the archipelago. On many visits the ship is able to sail through a narrow passage leading into the sunken volcanic caldera of Deception Island. Here, if the tide allows, you may wish to strip down to your bathing suit and take a dip in the thermal waters of Pendulum Cove.

Days 6, 7 & 8: Antarctic Peninsula

The centerpiece of our expedition is the Antarctic Peninsula, the most readily accessible part of the White Continent. Count on seeing extensive rookeries of Gentoo, Chinstrap and Adélie Penguins, plus a wide diversity of other bird life, including Blue-eyed Shags, Kelp Gulls, Snowy Sheathbills, Cape Petrels and Antarctic Terns. You may also encounter Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals, as well as orcas, and humpback and Minke whales. Our exploration of the Peninsula typically begins with a visit to Paradise Bay or nearby Neko Harbor, both offering unforgettable views of calm, iceberg-filled waters. We visit the thriving Gentoo Penguin colonies at Port Lockroy.  The base has been transformed into one of the most isolated museums in the world. If pack ice and icebergs allow, we pass through the Neumayer and Lemaire Channels, dramatically narrow passages between towering rock faces and spectacular glaciers. On some voyages we sail south of the Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island or our expedition may round the northern tip of the Peninsula to navigate Iceberg Alley, where huge tabular icebergs drift northward into the Antarctic Sound. We’ll also try to land on Paulet Island to see its vast Adélie Penguin rookery – again, if weather and ice conditions permit.

Days 9 & 10: Back across the Drake to Ushuaia

We leave Antarctica behind, returning north across the Drake Passage. But the adventure is not over – there are still plenty of opportunities to view whales and myriad species of sea birds. En route to Ushuaia, enjoy a last series of illustrated talks by our Expedition Team in the ship’s comfortable lounge and presentation room.

Day 11: Disembarkation in Ushuaia Exploring Patagonia.

Previous Expedition in 2006:
 

In the summer of 2006, Dominik Modlinski completed a residency on board the Russian icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov traveling to the High Arctic and Greenland. The voyages were organized by Quark Expeditions, a company that specialize in high-end adventure voyages in Russian/Canadian Arctic, North Pole and Antarctica.