The Art of Painting Lavender

I am painting lavender these days and it sure smells good. As a full time contemporary oil painter, I paint the island. I paint the trees, the bushes, the grasses and the rocks. I paint the distant mountains and islands, forests and sky. I paint the Salish Sea. And I paint lavender.

An artist has an intimate relationship with his or her world. Once a person has painted one tree, they see all trees in a new light.

“Look at all those colors that I never saw before!” I hear a student say after their first lesson.  So, is it that I love lavender so much that I must paint it, or do I paint it and so I love it even more? Good question.

We see things, as artists, or should I say notice, examine, ponder. Looking at a gorgeous field of lavender has me stopping in my tracks, looking at the colors subtly imbedded, and then thinking “is that magenta mixed with a little pthalo blue?  Yes, and the smallest smidge of cadmium orange. Look how light that water is next to the deepest purple.

My next thought is “I am going to paint that!”