Artbymarion - Joy of Colour: art by Marion Hedger

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

23 January 2020

Current Motifs...

Current works in progress

One of the prompts in #21daysinmyartworld by Tara Leaver on Instagram, was 'Current Motifs'.

Leading the viewers eye around and artwork is one of the most important things to rememer when painting. It can be done by using line, contrast or colour, or a combination of all of them.

My immediate reaction to this prompt, was that I didn't really have any 'motifs' as such, but on looking at my current works in progress I can see small blocks of colour are emerging.

I am using them to add interest and take you on a journey through and around the painting. Perhaps they are stepping stones in my explorations, perhaps just visual interest. I particularly like this motif when they themselves have lines around that don't quite match the outline of the block as in this painting:

ABSTRACT NOTIONS 1

by Marion Hedger

20x20cm acrylic on paper

AVAILABLE

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

21 January 2020

Naming Paintings ...

One of the painting 'wisdoms' is that you should have interesting, descriptive titles for your paintings. For example, 'Red Flowers in a Green Vase' just doesn't cut it. Even if you are painting a landscape your shouldn't name the painting after the location but think up a more intriguing title (I have to admit, I don't quite understand this one). I am very guilty of this because I could never think up better titles than 'Red Flowers in a Green Vase' or 'Lavender Fields in Provence'.

Since painting abstracts I don't have this easy option available and as I think labelling abstracts 'Untittled' is opting out, I had to come up with a better solution.

I use a note book to jot down ideas as and when I come across them. The ideas can come from something I've read, thoughts that pop into my mind, poems, music and even other painting titles which lead to something suitable. When it's time to name a painting, I look through my list and I am always surprised at often a suitable a title pops out.

What are your thoughts on interesting titles? Tell me how you name your paintings in the comments below.

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

04 September 2019

Over the moon.... Towards New Vistas award

TOWARDS NEW VISTAS

by Marion Hedger

40x40cm, acrylic and mixed media

I'm over the moon. 🙏This abstract has been awarded a 'Special Merit' award in the LightSpaceTime open competition.

Special Merit Award Category – These are the artists and their artwork which we felt could easily have been placed higher but due to the size constraints in each media category, this art was placed in this special category. Any of the Special Merit art, in many cases, is interchangeable with the best art that we selected for the top tiers.

This painting evolved and almost painted itself from the start. I loved what was happening and nearly stopped earlier. I'm glad I kept going as it just got better and better. Note the special touch that my 'brush' of lavender stems created.

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

09 August 2019

The Colour Purple / Living in Mystery

My Impressionist landscapes of Provence always contained purple for the obvious reason. Since concentrating on abstracts, I'm using less purple but it can still be found in a few paintings.

I find that it's a good foil to the other colours, often setting them off nicely. Green can really be made to pop with an adjacent patch of purple. It can easily be toned down to a purple grey by adding green, and this is enhances yellows and creams.

LIVING IN MYSTERY

by Marion Hedger

Acrylic on canvas

The Meanings of Purple
"Purple’s rarity in nature and the expense of creating the color and has given purple a supernatural aura for centuries. Purple is also the most powerful wavelength of the rainbow – and it’s a color with a powerful history that has evolved over time. In fact, the origins of the symbolism of purple are more significant and interesting than those of any other color.

If we go back to our pre-historic existence, our ancestors probably never saw a purple fruit, flower, bird, fish - or any living thing - because purple is very rare in nature. This is hard to imagine in today’s connected world. Read more..."
Source: Colour Matters

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

07 August 2019

The Colour Blue / Se7en is the Magic Number

I'm immediately drawn to paintings containing the colour blue. There are so many nuances from dark phthaloblue, bright ultramarine and sky blue right through to turquoise. Blue harmonises with all colours and mixes well with white. I'm a fan of ceruleum blue mixed with a dash of white. Do you have a favourite blue?

SE7EN IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

by Marion Hedger

Acrylic on canvas
Palette Knife Painting

The Meanings of Blue
"Blue is the favorite color of all people. It’s nature’s color for water and sky, but is rarely found in fruits and vegetables. Today, blue is embraced as the color of heaven and authority, denim jeans and corporate logos. It is cold, wet, and slow as compared to red’s warmth, fire, and intensity.
Blue has more complex and contradictory meanings than any other color. These can be easily explained by pinpointing by the specific shade of blue. Read more..."
Source: Colour Matters

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

05 August 2019

The Colour Red / Searching for Enlightment

I love red, but a little goes a long way. It is a hard colour to paint with.

Too much and it's garish, too dark and it can be dull. It is difficult to lighten as adding white turns it pink, and not many reds make a good pink. Adding yellow can lighten it, but this will send it into the orange tones. For me, there is always a lot of toing and froing with reds, to get that shade 'just right'.

SEARCHING FOR ENLIGHTENMENT

by Marion Hedger

Acrylic on canvas

The Meanings of Red

Red is the color of extremes. It’s the color of passionate love, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and adventure. Our prehistoric ancestors saw red as the color of fire and blood – energy and primal life forces – and most of red’s symbolism today arises from its powerful associations in the past.
Red is also a magical and religious color. It symbolized super-human heroism to the Greeks and is the color of the Christian crucifixion. Red was almost as rare and as expensive as purple in ancient days – a fact that may explain its magic and power. Paradoxically, today’s intense red dyes come from crushed insects (the lac beetle and the cochineal).
Source Colour Matters

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

02 August 2019

The Colour Yellow / On The Cusp of Spring

I love the colour yellow. It always gives me a lift and makes me feel happy.

These two paintings were painted last year as spring was starting, maybe it was the daffodils in the garden or the rape seed in the fields. Of course, here in Provence the sunflowers provide lovely yellow fields but in the summer. So perhaps these should be called On the Cusp of Summer.

On The Cusp of Spring 1 and 2.

by Marion Hedger

Acrylic on box canvas

Available

As a bit of fun, I looked up the meaning of yellow:

"Yellow, the color of sunshine, hope, and happiness, has conflicting associations. On one hand yellow stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honor, loyalty, and joy, but on the other, it represents cowardice and deceit. A dull or dingy yellow may represent caution, sickness, and jealousy.
Studies show that the meaning of the color yellow can be warmth, cheerfulness, increased mental activity, increased muscle energy. The color yellow helps activate the memory, encourage communication, enhance vision, build confidence, and stimulate the nervous system."
Source Bourne Creative.

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

27 July 2019

Miniature Abstract Paintings in Orange

Generally when I talk to people at trade fairs, there is a misconception that small paintings are quick to do. For me it's quite the opposite, unless I am doing a limited time trial to loosen up. Often there is just as much planning and thought in these small paintings as in larger paintings and per square inch, there can actually be more time involved. It's very satisfying completeing a series of small paintings although coming up with good compositions for all of them can be challenging.

Here are two more from my new series (10 in all) this time in orange colourways.

INTERPLAY 5

15X15cm (6x6")

oil on box canvas

INTERPLAY6

15X15cm (6x6")

oil on box canvas

AVAILABLE

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

18 July 2019

Miniature Abstract Oil Paintings

At the moment, I use acrylic to paint most of my abstracts, but sometimes I get the urge to dive into thick luscious oil paint. I think there is just something about digging your palette knife into thick oil paint and laying it on the canvas. I created a set of 6x6 inch paintings on deep canvas as an antidote to some of the larger paintings I had been painting. Some were in reds and others were in oranges.

Here are a couple of the red ones.

INTERPLAY 1

BY MARION HEDGER

Oil

15x15cm on box canvas

INTERPLAY 3

BY MARION HEDGER

Oil

15x15cm on box canvas

AVAILABLE

All my Miniature Treasure range can be seen here

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

17 July 2019

Revitalising my Etsy Shop with new work

For the last two years I have been ignoring my Etsy shop while I concentrate on my new direction of abstracts.

I've always had good sales on Etsy, and now I am revitalising it with some of my abstracts and gradually sprucing it up with better photos.

At the moment I have concentrated on adding my smaller format art on paper and on box canvasses. I have also added a some self-print files where you can download electronic version of my art to print at home for your own use.

Pop over to my Etsy shop and have a look. Your feedback will be valued.

Works on Paper available here. Ready to frame, with a white mount, for a standard 24x30cm frame.

Oil canvas abstracts available here.

Digital Prints available here

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

15 July 2019

Honourable Mention for Breathing Mountain

Breathing Mountain

by Marion Hedger

Acrylic

80x80cm on 4cm box canvas

I was thrilled and honoured to receive an honourable mention in the LightSpaceTime 555 exhibition. Although I didn't make it into the top ten, I did make it into the top 20 in the painting category. Thank you LightSpaceTime for the honour. Click here to see the winners

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

13 July 2019

Totem Paintings in Progress

Two of the for totem painting

30x60cm each
Contact me with any questions

I've had the idea to do some totem (long and thin) for a while now. I so many blank canvases and partily finished canvasses I couldn't justify new ones of the right size for yet another project trial.

I found four unfinished 30x60cm canvasses, which would make two 30x120cm (12"x48") paintings, and the project was born.

I drew a different design on all four of them and painted right over what was there, with similar colours on all of them. The above photos show how far I have got and I felt they are nearly done.

However, I don't like them.

I will reveal how I am changing them in a future post.

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

11 July 2019

Taking Risks

Work in Progress

40x40cm on box canvas

Acrylic

Contact me

Sometimes you nee to take risks to challenge yourself. This one started off conventionally with large blocks of colour, orange and light blue, and then smaller different blocks of colour on top letting some of the first colour show through.

I looked at it and thought "Why not go for it and drew some thick black lines and a circle . From there it gradually evolved to where it is now going more instinctively. I didn't overthink it and just went with the flow.

I enjoyed myself painting it and I am pleased with how it has turned out so far. Still some work to do, mainly tidying it up and looking at values, but it worked out quicker than many more of my more 'thoughtful' paintings.

Is the motto, "When it feels right, just go for it?"

CONNECT WITH ME

Keep up with my latest paintings and works in progress

on Instagram @artbymarion

30 January 2019

Impromptu Studio Sale - Time limited

After the success of my gallery exhibition in December, I want to say "Thank You" and share some of the joy with my collectors and newsletter subscribers.

Sign up to my newsletter and save of 20% when you purchase any painting directly through my website -

This offer is only available until midnight on 31st January Pacific Time

HOW IT WORKS

Subscribe to my newsletter.
I will send you the latest newsletter with the offer code
Go to the website and choose your painting.
Contact me, via email or through the 'contact the artist' link on the site, with the name of the painting and the code word.
I will send you an invoice which includes the shipping costs.
Your painting will ship within two days.

Remember - This offer is only available until midnight 31st January Pacific Time (GMT +8h)

CONNECT WITH ME