REYKJAVIK, Iceland —In a city as picturesque as Reykjavik, it’s not surprising that the local graffiti would be more than just the standard tagging. All over the streets of Iceland’s capital, there are elaborate paintings, stencils and murals reflecting a graffiti-twist on the Scandinavian design aesthetic.Many of the local spray paintings incorporate bright colors, cute and friendly-looking fantasy creatures, and simple patterns.

According to the Grapevine, Reykjavik’s English language art and entertainment newspaper, the graffiti circle picks up trends as a group, usually influenced by what they might find on the Internet. Stencils, once synonymous with a lack of original artistic talent, didn’t become that popular until a few years ago. Theresa Himmer created several very striking art pieces on the corners of a few buildings by using small pieces of glitter, Grouped together, they create the effect of a rippling design that appears to be liquid as the tinsel catches the light and twists in the wind.

Considering that the time period for putting up graffiti can’t be very long—only up to about four hours of night during the summer, not much time for painting—Reykjavik seems to have a very gracious attitude towards street artists.

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