30 June 2016

Misty Morning Rocks Commission Painting

Misty Morning Rocks
by Marion Hedger
6x8 oil on box canvas

This is the third painting commission of the rocks. See the other two paintings here and here.

The client likes this one the best. It is the one I found most difficult as I am not known for my subdued paintings LOL.

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29 June 2016

28 June 2016

Seascape - Sunset Rocks Commission

Sunset Rocks
Oil on box canvas, 6"x8"

This is a sister painting for a client who bought the original painting. He requested two more paintings in different light. I painted 3 paintings all of which he likes and I will wait to see which ones he'll purchase.

Here is the original
Gentle Waves by Marion Hedger


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27 June 2016

Ulm Pushkin Mesa, Montana Commission Painting

Ulm Pushkin Mesa, Montana
24x30cm Oil on MDF canvas panel
Contact me if you would like to commission your own unique landscape painting


This was a commission painting for someone who wanted a present for her husband. She sent me a few photos of Ulm pushkin and with those and some images I found on the net, I forged ahead. The difficulty was making the middle ground interesting and giving it a sense of distance.

While searching for photos I discovered this was in the First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park and the mesa was used to send buffalo over the edge to kill them. 

I sent her a photo of the work in progress to ensure I was heading in the right direction. I don't normally do this as my paintings don't usually make sense until finished and the colours change back and forth quite a bit during the process, but I needed to now if I was achieving what she wanted. She came back and asked for the mesa to be larger and there to be less orange in the middle ground.

Work in progress


I toned down the orange and increased the size of the mesa. I left it for a couple of days but wasn't satisfied with the overall looked. So I added more darks and gave it more of an early evening/late afternoon feel.




26 June 2016

A Host of Golden Daffodils - palette knife painting


Oil on 3mm thick Italian canvas MDF panel
18x24cm (approx 7"x10")
© Marion Hedger, all rights reserved.
 
A gorgeous spring scene of a field of daffodils. Who doesn't appreciate the cheery yellow colour of daffodils in the spring? The wild daffodils are much smaller than the cultivated ones add a sparkle to the countryside on a bright spring morning.


"I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;
Along the Lake, beneath the trees,
Ten thousand dancing in the breeze."
Wordsworth 

 
Sold unframed but can be hung in a standard frame without glass.

The edge of the panel has been painted black, so the painting will look great in a floating frame or displayed on a small easel like this:



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22 June 2016

Palette Scrapings into colourful grounds




I'm a messy painter - my paint gets everywhere. At the end of a session my palette (a very large piece of glass) is covered in pools of paint many of them intermingled. Palette knife paintings need lots and lots of paint so there is always lots left over. If you're squeamish about using a lot of paint then palette knife painting is not for you - but why not give it a try - it can be very liberating.

I always have a stack of small gessoed panels available and the left over paint is perfect to cover the panels. I can feel a couple of mini 4x4 abstracts coming on. Perhaps a seascape and a cloudscape. Tell me what you can see.

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21 June 2016

Who needs brushes when you have your fingers.

Can't paint because you have no brushes? Use you fingers instead.

A great lesson by Igor Sakharov on using a cloth, fingers and occasional knife. Also shows you shouldn't be too precious about what you have already put down on the canvas.

I must try this.

Send me photos of your finger paintings and I will post them here in my blog.

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14 June 2016

Abstract red and orange flowers


Every now and then I get the urge to try abstracts. I am thinking about embarking on a series of large ones, but while I'm mulling this over in my head, here is a reminder of my colourful abstract florals, see the original post Here. The top two are 6x8" box canvas and the other two are 6x6" painted on gessoed panel. All are in oils and painted using a knife.

They are available in my Etsy shop

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11 June 2016

The Bus Stop St Paul de Vence - Work in Progress




I have not painted many (in fact only two here and here) scenes of local village St Paul de Vence. I don't know why - it is a very picturesque perched village and one of the most visited. I have lots of photos, of course, and it is about time!

This is the local bus stop for returning to Nice. It is located on a tiny bit of path and near a corner. In summer there are crowds of tourists trying to get on the bus. - Sorry for some reason the photo is not good and does not show the colour variations in the shadows well.

I am trying to capture the heat of the afternoon, as it get extremely hot waiting for the bus and test the patience of even the most patient of tourists!

A little further along the way...

 

10 June 2016

THROWBACK FRIDAY - A look at how it used to be


I thought it would be fun to look at some of my earlier work. These were painted about five years ago before I picked up a pallete knife.

Interesting to see how my technique has changed. Can you see similar changes in your own paintings? Let me know about it and how about doing your own throwback day?

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09 June 2016

#abundantartshow finishing - sharing an other artists work.


Since ‪#‎abundantartshow‬ is ending today, I wanted to share one of my favorite pieces from the week. Check out this piece. I like it because of the expression and the novel way of showing a portrait. I am not much into figurative art but this one appeals to me.

The show ends in just a few hours, so take advantage now

08 June 2016

#AbundantArtShow is ending soon.



Hidden Passageway, 30x40cm

You might remember I mentioned a few days ago I was taking part in the #abundantartshow alongside several hundred other artists. It ends in two days, and today's challenge is to ask people to share your work to help you spread the word and perhaps find new buyers. {I find this very hard to say! But nothing ventured...} So if you feel moved to support an artist today, visit the #abundantartshow hashtag and share your favourite painting any which way, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc - it doesn't even have to be mine. ;) And don't forget to use the hashtag! Either way, a HUGE thank you to you for already supporting and encouraging me so much. I appreciate it more than I can say. 

I have created a pinterest board for the abundantartshow showing some of the art I like. I must say, there is a lot of variety. https://www.pinterest.com/artbymarion/abundantartshow/

07 June 2016

Sping Daffodils (not on a windowsil!)


Spring Daffodils
40x50cm oil on 1.5" deep canvas

I posted the photo of this painting in the room setting and then realised I had not posted it here in my blog. So a little late, but here is a reminder of spring.


Each year I place some daffodil bulbs in a terracotta pot and hope they flower earlier than the ones in the garden. I bought this pot inside and placed it against the window with the light streaming through. I always feel that, living in France, I'm at a disadvantage because we do not have interior window sills and I cannot get the true feeling of the flowers on a window sill which is a great prop for container plants.

Some close-ups of the knife work





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06 June 2016

Spring Daffodils oil painting in a room setting

Spring Daffodils 
40x50cm (16x20") 
Oil on stretched canvas


OK so spring is over but who doesn't like yellow flowers at any time?
Still playing with Wallapp to better showcase my art. This setting is made to set of the daffodils.

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05 June 2016

Showcase your work in a different way - AbundantArtShow Day 4 -

Today's challenge is to showcase your work in a different way. I have chosen a garden theme - as you know I love my garden and gain a lot of inspiration from it. Maybe not too different - but I am working on it!


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04 June 2016

Day 3 #AbundantArtShow - Show your art in a new way

Wonderful Lavender Provence
In-situ using WallApp
50x40cm oil on stretched canvas
Palette knife painting
AVAILABLE

Day 3's task is "to share something new, unique or different about your work. What way can you show off your work that you haven’t done before? Take a look at some of the examples from yesterday’s challenge."

I have often wondered where artists get the images for their room settings to display their art. I vaguely remember Sea Dean writing something about it on her blog Sea Dean - Paint a Masterpiece Blog 

So I trawled her blog and discovered this post. A great app and one I shall be using again. I agree with her assessment of the app so I will let you read her post to save repeating it. The biggest drawback with the app is the inability to size your app to the correct proportion, it's all a little bit of guesswork.

Here's another setting for Sky Reach (now sold)

 

03 June 2016

Impressionist Garden Art, Climbing Red Roses - Summer Scent

Summer Scent by Marion Hedger
Oil palette knife painting 
24x30cm, MDF canvas panel

The blue pergola this rose and the pink rose was built by my husband. It took quite some time to persuade him but I am so pleased they are built. They provide the perfect support and backdrop to the roses.

02 June 2016

AbundantArtShow Day 2, share WIP and promote two other artists

I shared my work in progress of my climbing red roses for #the abundant art show. We were to share 2 to 3 pics of a current work in progress on 1 social media outlet and promote two artists in the challenge. I shared my WIP on Facebook but couldn't resist posting it here as well. I shall share the finished painting with you tomorrow. HINT it is already posted on Etsy so if you just can't wait have a look and tell me what you think. The two artists I promoted were Kristen O'Neill and Anita Nowinska.

I have been using Canva to create my collages. I find it takes a long time and is not really suitable for me and it is also not compatible with my tablet. I'm looking for new app that is quick for collages, picmonkey also has trouble with my android tablet - so if you know of one that works on both a pc and an android tablet let me know.

Today's Garden Inspiration - Red roses


Close-up Crop of Work in Progress

And the Inspiration...
A climbing red rose.

These roses are beautifully formed and have such a wonderful scent.

St Paul, the area I live in, was renowned for its roses. Apparently the hillsides were all covered with rose nurseries and supplied the perfume trade in Grasse. It's surprising that they grow so well as roses are not normally associated with a Mediterranean climate due to the hot summers. We do have quite a bit of rain in April and often into May which probably bolsters them up for their moment of glory.

Here are some photos from an annual rose festival two weeks ago.



01 June 2016

Art Show 8 day Challenge, #abundantartistshow

“I’m participating in the #AbundantArtShow! Its an 8 day mini-show of artists’ work from all over the world. Over the next 8 days I’ll be showing some of my work as well as sharing my favorites from other artists.”

Look for the hashtage #AbundantArtShow to see who is participating in the challenge. All work is for sale at no commission. We have dozens of artists participating in this challenge, by working together, we are creating a virtual art show, where nobody takes a commission and everyone benefits.