Heat, Texture & Earth Energy: Textile Inspiration from Iceland’s Geothermal Landscape

Sometimes the most powerful inspiration comes not from man-made objects or quiet reflections, but from the raw pulse of the earth itself. During my travels through Iceland, I was lucky enough to explore a geothermal area — a landscape of bubbling mud, hissing steam, and scorched terrain shaped by volcanic power.

It felt ancient. Alive. And completely irresistible from a textile artist’s point of view.

This photo  may look like something from another planet — but it’s Iceland at its most honest. A living palette of minerals, ash, and heat. It became an instant spark for new creative ideas.

🔥 The Energy Beneath

The contrast in this scene is extraordinary:

Cracked, baked earth in warm ochres and deep rusts

Pale sulphur yellows and chalky white salt crusts

Billows of steam rising from vents like ghostly fabric

Rock formations that look melted, bubbled, or scorched

And in the background — a distant quietness from the cool, shadowed mountains

It’s a landscape of extremes, and that’s exactly what makes it so inspiring to interpret in textile form.

🧵 Breaking Down the Scene: Design Elements

Let’s use our key creative elements — colour, texture, line, and shape — to explore this image as a design source.

1. Colour

Rich earth tones: rust, umber, terracotta

Pale sulphur yellow, dusty white, smoke grey

Small hints of black, blue-grey, and almost coppery undertones

Textile interpretation:

Build a natural dye palette or paint base cloth with layered earth tones

Use burnt oranges, ochres, and iron-oxide reds in batiks, hand-dyed muslin, or even rust-dyed fabric

Layer sheers or paint with salt to mimic mineral blooms on cloth

2. Texture

The image is full of tactile opportunity: baked crusts, cracked earth, smudged mineral deposits, and rising steam

The contrast between rough rocks and soft steam is especially rich for mixed media work

In textiles:

Use techniques like textured applique, scrim, Tyvek, or melted Lutradur

Stitch dense areas with French knots, whip stitch, or layered free motion embroidery

Use needle felting or puff paint for built-up volcanic surfaces

For the steam, try using organza, tulle, or stitched dissolvable fabric to create airy effects

3. Line

Strong diagonals from the sloped landscape

Cracks and ridges naturally flow across the surface

Wispy verticals in the steam rising from the ground

Use in design:

Sketch dynamic diagonals into your layout

Use free-motion stitch to mimic fissures or steam trails

Couching with thick threads can add depth and movement

4. Shape

Organic, irregular shapes dominate the landscape

Clusters of rocks, billows of steam, sunken pits — all non-geometric, perfect for textile abstraction

In stitch:

Embrace imperfect outlines

Use reverse appliqué or layered fragments to echo this rugged topography

Frame a section as a close-up to create a focused, abstract piece

✨ Translating Earth Energy into Fabric

This kind of scene doesn’t lend itself to literal representation — and it doesn’t need to. Instead, focus on evoking the feeling of standing there: the smell of sulphur, the heat rising from the ground, the sound of steam hissing through rocks.

Let your textiles speak through layer, tension, and contrast — not just image.

🌋 A Creative Prompt for Your Sketchbook

Try this:

1. Print or zoom in on a section of the geothermal photo

2. Sketch just the textures or lines — no need for a full scene

3. Pull a small fabric palette based on the colours (5–7 tones)

4. Create a stitched sample that focuses on just one aspect: maybe the steam, or the cracked earth

5. Add layers and stitching slowly — let it build like the landscape did

💭 Final Thoughts

This geothermal landscape was wild, raw, and unforgettable. A reminder that inspiration isn’t always gentle — sometimes it bubbles up from beneath the surface. For me, it’s another chapter in how travel can influence not only what I create, but how I see.

Whether you stitch the steam, the minerals, or the energy of the place — let Iceland’s volcanic heart find its way into your hands and thread.