or 15 days, Max Denison-Pender braved ferocious winds, freezing temperatures and lashings of snow and hail to paint Iceland’s Fargradalsfjall volcano. But the painter did not just have severe weather conditions and a two-hour uphill trek with a full-size easel slung over his shoulder to contend with. Being mid-way through its six-month-long eruption, there was also a steady stream of molten lava and deadly gases to negotiate. “It was hardcore,” Max says. “You didn’t have to worry about the carbon monoxide, as it seeps in slowly. But the sulphur monoxide blows in with the wind… You could see the smoke clouds changing direction and coming
