Lavender Fields

In the Luberon valley where we live, we are just a little low for the lavender to thrive. But if you drive 20 minutes or so up into the mountains that separate the north and south Luberon valleys, you are surrounded by stunning fields that seem to stretch forever.

It’s a strange phenomenon…as you gaze down the oh, so orderly rows of lavender: up close they look almost gray and colorless, with a little bit of green. But as your eyes rise and follow the rows to the horizon, the blue/ violet color gets more and more intense. And it is this intensity that brings people from all over the world to stop and gaze.

I have painted lavender fields several times since we moved here. No easy feat, as the hotter and dryer the conditions are, the better it grows. So, it’s a given that you must stand in the hot sun (in June), without any shade, to capture that purple phenomenon. And June in Provence is hot.