87 Escape to Lavender Valley

87 "Escape to Lavender Valley" 8x8 oil on board, copyright Laura Gable

A few days ago I did a miniature study for this larger painting (check out entry #77). Though 8x8 is not significantly larger, it was still an interesting exercise to show a bit more information from this visit to the Blue Mountain Lavender farm outside Lowden last summer. Late in the season, the visitors are allowed to cut handfuls of these wonderfully fragrant blossoms. They filled the car with a soft scent for the ride home. Here's a link to their website. http://bluemountainlavender.com/

When I was moving the boards around for my new studio shelves, I accidentally scraped across the top of this wet painting. Silly me for leaving it on the floor. And so the figures bending over on the right side of the painting were obliterated. Funny, since I was considering removing them anyway since I thought they resembled sheep. Perhaps if I do an even larger painting, I'll finally add them in.

77 Lavender Valley

77 "Lavender Valley" 2.5"x2.5" oil on board, copyright Laura Gable

It feels like such a small effort, this small painting, so I'm looking at it as a "study" for another larger painting I'd like to do of this Lavender Valley near the town of Lowden by Walla Walla, WA. Using juicy oil paint, it was painted alla prima. The color of the barn was played down, as from a distance it wouldn't read as brilliant red as it really is. 'Twas hard to fully identify the shadows these lovely round plants were casting. So imagination is required here.

63 Grazing (oil sketch)

63 "Grazing" (oil sketch) 8x8 oil on board, copyright Laura Gable

The set of the body of these 2 grazing horses, near the Lowden Lavender farms, was quickly sketched here in oil. Though I've used very little paint, I like the feel of this little piece.

Click for info on the 100 in 100 challenge.

25 Outstanding Fields

25  "Outstanding Fields" 8x8 oil on board, copyright Laura Gable

Sorry but my computer with Photoshop is having difficulty, and may be totally fried. I'll get it checked out soon. So I can't straighten out the corners on this one or crop out the background. It's was a fun little study of a lavender field over in Lowden, WA near Walla Walla (blue mountain lavender farms). This young woman was standing there looking wistfully off into the distance. I thought it had a nice romantic feel. And of course, working with this variety of purples and lavenders was a lot of fun.

"The Look Outs"

"The Look Outs" ©Laura Gable, 8x8 oil painting on board.

These echinacea flowers have beautiful large showy heads of composite "purple coneflowers" and they bloom from early to late summer.


They rise above the lavender bushes in this Louwden Lavendar farm in late summer, where they appear as though they are the look outs at the command post. Maybe they are looking for the invasive sunflower, trying to separate the chaff from the grain in this utopian farm society. Or perhaps it's a wandering dog they will sound the alarms for. I'm sure you can make up your own story.


Wikipedia states that they are endemic to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist and dry prairies and open wooded areas. I spied these in Walla Walla, plus we have some growing in our front yard. The name derives from the Greek word echino, meaning "sea urchin" due to the spiny central disk. Some species are used in herbal medicines and some are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. A few species are of conservation concern.