Jana Parkin

Brantome Mill

Brantome is considered “the Venice of France,” and was one of the last “free areas” during the Nazi occupation of France in World War II. I painted this en plein air, standing on a riverbank across from the mill, as part of a workshop I taught in France this past summer. It was a weeklong workshop where we stayed in a castle and painted in a different location or village every day…almost like living in a fairy tale. At this location in Brantome I loved the still-functioning waterwheel, and the way the timelessness of the structures along the river seem to transport out to another era. I loved the way the bridge leads you into the scene, and the way the weir creates small cascades of light in the water. This had to be painted quickly, as soon as the rain stopped, and the finishing touches were added back at the castle.

Cleaving

This painting is about marriage. I loved the way these two trees were clinging together, practically intertwined, and had grown together as one. I loved that they were both cleaving to light -- in this case the last rays of sunlight pouring over the mountains and flooding the valley with light. They had clearly battled the elements together, and grown stronger together than they would have grown separately. This section of Provo Canyon's South Fork is a spot I have visited many times, but on this particular evening it was one of those unforgettable "take your breath away" moments that I simply had to capture. It took dozens of glazes to achieve the richness of color and dusky sense of oncoming night.