Emily Jung Miller

I’ve spent the past week exploring lavender farms in the Oregon countryside with my painting gear, discovering new views of my favorite mountain and enjoying the amazing scented fields! This is my first year participating in the annual Oregon Lavender Paint Out and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

Three of my lavender paintings will be on display at the Willamette Valley Lavender Festival this weekend in Newberg, at the Chehalem Cultural Center. The festival will be a lot of fun, come join us if you can!

Mt. Hood from the Lavender Fields, 6″ x 16″ plein air watercolor at Mountainside Lavender Farm, ©2018.

My first painting was on a clear, sunny afternoon at Mountainside Lavender. The day’s heat enhanced the smell of the lavender fields as I painted. This farm has a beautiful view of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens, with the peaks of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams visible in the distance. I have been “collecting” views of Mt. Hood in my plein air paintings – the mountain fascinates me because it is so different from the scenery I grew up with, and because it plays hide-and-seek depending on the weather and location!

Lavender Grace, 6″ x 16″ plein air watercolor at Wayward Winds Lavender Farm, ©2018.

My second day of painting was spent at Wayward Winds Lavender Farm, high on the mountaintop of the Chehalem Ridge. I experimented with a looser, more gestural approach to the mass of lavender bushes, simplifying the white and purple flowers into a wet-on-wet wash of color overlaid with a few flower spike details.

Lavender and Olive Groves, 11″ x 14″ plein air watercolor at Red Ridge Farms, ©2018.

On day three I painted at Red Ridge Farms in the Dundee Hills, a terraformed landscape of vineyards and farmland densely packed on the steep hillsides. This view transported me to the south of France – a hot, sunny afternoon at the easel, painting the lavender, olive groves, and vineyards in the distance!

The Oregon Lavender Paint-Out hosts 125 artists at a dozen or so lavender farms throughout Oregon. Art from the Paint Out will be on display at the Lavender Festival this weekend, along with food and drinks, music and crafts. This year I stayed close to home and painted in the Willamette Valley, but I’m already planning next year to explore farms farther afield!

Below are two more paintings I completed during the Paint Out. Although these two will not be on display at the Lavender Festival, they are available direct from my website.

Mist at Wayward Winds Lavender, 11″ x 14″ plein air watercolor ©2018.

Lavender Study at Sunset, 8″ x 10″ plein air watercolor at Wayward Winds Lavender Farm, ©2018.