Lavender Fields Forever

"Lavender Below Bonnieux"
8 x 12, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2014

I just got back from a painting trip to Provence. Everywhere there were huge fields of lavender, at their absolute peak. Borrowing a phrase
from the Beatles, I just kept thinking to myself "Lavender Fields Forever"!

"Tree among the Lavender"
oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2014

The fields are beautiful to look at, and intoxicating to smell. One of the most memorable things about painting among the fields is the sound of the bees that abound among the lavender plants. They create a constant humming tone, which is lovely background music for painting. 

"Lavender Fields Forever"
8 x 12, oil on linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2014

I must also confess to pulling my fingers along the spikes of the lavender florets to smell their aroma on my fingers. Almost all of the senses are involved in these paintings! The fields are beautiful to stand among, but notoriously hard to paint. These were three paintings that I thought made the grade. Enjoy!