Art to Inbox
16 January

Happy Monday! The second lavender fields art has arrived! I’m delighted to introduce “Lavender Fields n.2”, the ninth piece in my Provence Series.

OF LATE

- inspiration -

After a Q&A I did on my Instagram yesterday, the question “Where does your inspiration come from?” has me thinking. What is inspiration? Is it a feeling, an emotion? Is it always sparked by an external thing or event? Is it different for every person? Most importantly, is it truly the necessary fiber by which we create beauty?

I have always believed that inspiration is not the currency of an artist’s success and should not be considered such nor relied upon for stability. Put frankly, perhaps a hobbyist only creates when they feel “inspired”. Professional artists must create from much less Instagram-pretty concepts like deadlines, scheduling, fatigue, disenfranchisement, dedication and consistency - as any job would require. Sometimes the best work is also just work.

I’m left wondering why inspiration is monopolized as the question for artists and not for everybody else.

LAVENDER FIELDS N.2 of PROVENCE
Original Pastel Painting + Art Prints

It took me over two years to see the famed lavender fields in bloom, but I did finally get there. Two incredible friends of mine had a last-minute space open in their driving tour and off we went to do lavender fields day.

When I say I have never seen so many influencers in one place, I have truly never seen so many. We might have been the only non-influencers in the fields? Maybe I stayed away for so long because of the hype, and yet…

I discovered magic in the sight of never-ending waves of wispy purple lavender rolling hazily toward the distance mountains; there it was again in the thousands of sunflowers lazily swinging their bright faces in the breeze, for miles and miles - quietly - smiling in awe at themselves.

“Lavender Fields n.2” is the ninth piece in my Provence Series. It is available in my shop for sale as the original painting and as fine art prints in five sizes, starting as small as 5x7” ($28) up to 24x32”.

 Lagniappe

Art Education: 60 free minutes of artists teaching about their paths to success.

Frame dat: How I’ll be framing everything from now on.

Deckled-Edge: My favorite new artist is putting out some extremely elegant art on paper.

If you are new to this email, welcome! Art to Inbox is my compilation of art and inspiration from the past week. Thank you for joining.

See you next Monday.

Santé,
Avery

Avery Ches is a chalk pastel painter and photographer focusing on big sky landscapes and nude forms. Originally from Kentucky, she calls New Orleans, LA her home in the US and currently resides in the Mediterranean region with her cat Beauregard. Follow her daily art practice on Instagram.