31 May 2016

Impressionist Garden Art, Summer Essence oil painting

Summer Essence by Marion Hedger
24x30cm (approx. 10x12") on MDF canvas panel
Oil painting using palette knife

This is the outcome of yesterday's inspiration.

The joys of photshop elements !!! First it kept crashing. Then adjusting the colours UGH. It seems that you adjust one to get it just right and it throws the other colours off. My camera always seems to have trouble with the blues.  and in trying to adjust the photo the pink roses have lost there brightness.

This close-up shows them much better.


Some Work in progress shots


30 May 2016

Garden Art Photo Inspiration and WIP




April until June is the nicest time in my garden - first the daffodils start nodding their heads, quickly followed by the early irises and tulips. After tulips come the poppies and then the bearded irises. The colours range from the yellows of the daffs, the reds of the tulips and poppies, through to the purples and blues of the irises.

At the moment the pinks and reds in the form of climbing roses are taking center stage and I took these to images as my current painting inspiration.




The top image a teaser for the pink rose painting I am working on at the moment. It's nearly finished so all will be revealed tomorrow.






23 May 2016

Iris Garden Abstract impressionist painting by Marion Hedger

Iris Corner Abstract
Oil on Gallery Wrapped canvas
6"x8"

I look forward to spring as my garden awakes from its winter slumbers. Living in the South of France, I have lots of irises - that emblematic flower of Provence. One type was here when we moved into the house about 10 years ago. They have thin stems, stand about 3' tall and have pale flowers. Individually they are not as showy as the other varieties but when planted on mass the garden is covered in purple. Add to that the blue Ceanothus in the background -  Just wonderful to see.

Here's a pic from a few years ago when I transplanted some under our Magnolia. They are prolific and now they cover the whole area.



06 May 2016

Palette Knife Painters Group - Weekly Paintings Compilation 25 April to 1 May 2016


I am part of the Palette Knife Painters Group and each week our hard working site administrator Lynda Cookson puts together a video of the weeks paintings.

Take a few moments to look at the talented artists in the group. See if you can spot mine.

Like the group on Facebook

04 May 2016

Impressionist Landscape Painting - Provence Flower Show

Provence Flower Show
30x40cm
Oil palette knife painting

Last week we took a drive to see the cherry blossom in the Vaucluse area of Provence. We missed the cherry blossom but did find some gorgeous poppy meadows and of course I had to paint one.

02 May 2016

Essential Kitchen Items for Painting - Part 1 Kitchen Wrap


I thought it might interest you to take a peek into some of my working practices, and will be revealing them on an ad hoc basis.

Like many painters, I make use of use of different everyday items in one form or another during the painting process.

Something I find indispensable is kitchen wrap (cling film / saran wrap). I use it for several things.

- Working out Variations on a (mostly) dry painting.
I make use of it to look at possible variations in a painting. The image below is of a commission of Ulm Pushkin in Montana I am working on. The client wanted the butte a little larger and to stand out more. To gauge how large to go, I placed the wrap over the painting and made a couple of suggestions using a felt tip. She went for the first option.

This could also be used to try out different colours.

- Keeping Paints Moist
Another use is to cover the paints at the end of the day to keep the paints moist. This also works for acrylics - spray the acrylics with water and then cover with the film. Some of the acrylic will stick to the film but the rest will still be moist enough to continue using. This is a great idea when plein aire painting as the palette and paint can be put away without the paint making a mess.

 -Avoiding Brush Cleaning
Wrap the brushes with film at the end of the day to stop them drying overnight. They only need to be washed at the end of the painting

-Avoiding cleaning palettes
I normally use a piece of glass as a palette, but when I use a wooden palette I often cover it with wrap first. When I have finished the painting, the wrap can be thrown away and the palette doesn't need cleaning.

-Working out a composition
I have difficulty translating sketches and ideas onto the larger size of the canvas. Often I cover the canvas in cling film and work out the composition using a felt tip pen. This gives me a good idea of whether the composition and relative sizes will work.

Let me know if you use kitchen wrap and if you have any other ideas for its use.