The city of Cape Town, with its areas of pristine nature interlocking with dense human habitation, provides a rich and diverse engagement for this artist. Parsons' paintings of Cape fynbos, the vegetation that is endemic to the Cape Peninsula, are a significant part of her exploration of brush mark, colour and light.
A city is a reflection of the choices that society has made over time. Parsons' urban landscape paintings document the relationship between our values and our occupation of the land. Cultivated gardens, degraded public land and the grass verges of our suburbs are landscapes that lack the grandiosity of the pristine. The plants that inhabit these urban man-made spaces are a visual language all of their own. They speak of our history, our politics and the ways in which we engage with nature.
Jenny's recent move into a fourth floor studio in the heart of industrial Woodstock, Cape Town, has lead to an exploration of the surrounding landscape. Views of houses, harbour, mountain and sea, as well as the ever changing weather and light, provide rich visual material.
Below is a link to a talk that I gave to the Constantiaberg Art Society in October 2021. I talk about my outdoor painting practice, sharing tips and methods as well as showing a portfolio of my paintings.
https://youtu.be/Qt0OPz-mD-4