Pack Train

This painting pays homage to its Indigenous American subjects and their way of life. Inspired by a greeting card, Janny renders in oils a small traveling party with a horse-mounted brave in the lead and a blanket-clad woman in the rear. The horse between the two figures is loaded with a pack and pulling a travois, a frame used to drag loads over land. Focus is drawn to the vibrant high alpine meadow in the foreground, where violet and golden-hued grasses compliment one another. The muted tones of the craggy cliffs and misty hillsides in the background illustrate the scope and vastness of the setting.

Talent and generosity are attributes that define Janny Richins’ approach to painting. “Pack Train” began as a birthday gift to be hung in her husband’s North Summit High School office. The family’s connections to the North Summit area are deep; it was a teacher there, Mr. Greenwood, who encouraged Janny in her artistic gift. She continued to study art as she pursued her degree in elementary education at Utah State University and Weber State University. The mother of 7, she is delighted to find herself able to devote more time these days to painting. Well-versed in a variety of subjects, Janny is particularly interested in painting portraits.

2003 Commission Award