Wednesday 2 September 2009

take two paintings



English Lavender

a couple of weeks ago i visited the lavender farm at snowshill in the cotswolds. a storm was gathering and the sky darkening. the harvesters were working trying to beat the impending rain.
these paintings painted in the studio later show two approaches to the subject.

in the first i am exploring perspective...the rows...what makes this blue field distinctly growing lavender... how to make this a lavender field that isn’t baking in the southern sun...the light on a distant field...and the wild flowers growing on the edges of order.

the second painting is more about actually being there...it’s a field lower down the valley...in the moments after the storm had moved off in a different direction.....a time when everything looks bluer, softer, more at peace. the last evening before the crop will be harvested in the morning.

from a painting perspective it’s been wonderful to explore a new subject especially as i haven’t been painting as often as i usually do.

from an emotion point of view it’s been cathartic...the evening at the lavender field followed the memorial service of a loved and much missed friend.



Lavender Evening

3 comments:

Lindsey said...

Smells amazing! I love the depth in both these paintings and the change of light. I want to walk up into English Lavender and Lavender Evening feels so calm and tranquil but also that it is fading away into the horizon and blending into the evening sky, drifting away. A lovely place to think and say goodbye for now.

Sally Stafford said...

thank you Lindsey. lovely, thoughtful words as ever. sally x

Anonymous said...

with immediacy and intensity, the smell of lavender activated the memory, allowing us to travel freely in time, back to our first meeting ......