Durance Amber

Durance originates from a mineral-inspired painting, marking the beginning of a series dedicated to the interplay between rock and water. This design is a tribute to the river that carves through Provence, bearing the same name—a river deeply tied to my childhood memories, near where I spent summers at my grandparents’ home.

One of the great waterways of the region, the Durance is both tranquil and untamed—sometimes meandering lazily, at other times surging with torrential force after heavy rains. It is renowned for tracing fleeting, ever-changing patterns along the river’s pebble bed, creating designs that shift every year with the rhythm of the seasons and the river’s flow.

Originating from a painting inspired by its meanders, Durance explores the dialogue between stone and water, grounding fluidity in the permanence of natural forms. The design emerged from a layering of techniques—overlapping gouache and ink, fluid watercolor washes contrasting with more defined divisions—mimicking the softened, timeworn edges of river pebbles.

The intention was to capture the essence of time-shaped water landscapes, evoking the slow shaping of riverbeds and the erosion of stone. Its organic composition flows like sedimentary layers, where each contour suggests the imprint of water carving its path over time.

Durance is a meditation on movement and stillness, on the delicate balance between force and grace. It invites to an immersion in the quiet poetry of flowing water and the enduring presence of stone.