Off to visit the rhinos and elephants

Coastal Morning

Namibia Impressions Series

50% of proceeds go to Save The Rhino Trust Namibia

Available

As you read this I will be in Namibia visiting the rhinos and elephants again. Or at least I hope so. We were there two years ago at the same time of year - THE RAINY SEASON. That time we were lucky (well for us not the locals) as the drought was in full swing. This meant that the animals would all congregate around the waterholes making it much easier to spot them.

This year the drought has broken and it is much wetter, although it seems to be easing up so we may not get as wet as we first thought! This of course means that the animals will be more widely dispersed and more difficult to spot, but we are still hopeful.

This time round we are taking in the Savuti Channel and going into Chobe national park in Botswana. Keep your fingers croseed for us.

Namibia Impressions Series

Coastal Heat

12x12inch

AVAILABLE

Namibia Impressions Coastal Morning - Adding Scale

Well I've decided to do another 30 paintings in 30 days challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta. I have a love/hate relationship with these challenges - I like to see the new body of works at the end and making sure I get into the studio each day but the self-inflicted stress well... it is not so much the painting, it's the posting on the blogs and social media that I find taxing.

My first painting for 2017 is another Namibia Impressions of the sunrise on the coast line just after the fog has lifted.

Namibia Impressions Coastal Morning

40x50cm (16x20inches)

Oil on stretched canvas
Day 1 of January 2017 30 paintings in 30 days

Contact me about this painting

450€

(50% goes to Save the Rhino Fund)

I started this in 2015 when I did my first Namibia Impressions series, but somehow I always felt something was missing. I scaled my concept up to a 40x50cm stretched canvas but it wasn't quite working.

Here is how it was

the colours are a bit off, especially in the sky as the photo was taken indoors but it will give you an idea of the previous shapes.

As I looked at the painting, to some advice from Nicholas Wilton - he has great tips and I have followed him for his advice for the last six months or so - came to mind about 'scale'. I noticed that all my marks were more or less the same size. I covered the canvas with liquin and but in larger areas of paint. I should have taken some photos at this stage, but as so oftern happens I was in the painting 'zone' and didn't even think about it. It immediately made the painting come more to life. As I worked on it some more I realised that the marks were still similar shapes, so adding the vertical marks gave another dimension. I am more pleased with it now and I am calling it finished.

Leave your feedback in the comments, as I'd love to hear from you.

Namibia Impressions 21 - Kunene Sunrise painting by Marion Hedger

Namibia Impressions 21 - Kunene Sunrise

30x30cm (approx 12"x12")

Oil on canvas panel.

One of my fundraising paintings towards SAVE THE RHINO TRUST NAMIBIA, in aid of black rhino conservation

It seems to be a growing trend among artists to include a poem or quote when showing their art. I'm not very poetic myself and cannot understand much poetry - but I think I am improving! I like reading the snippets various artists have chosen and we have started looking at poetry with my granddaughter.

Here is a quote that I feel relates to this painting and my fundraising efforts.

“There's always a story. It's all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything's got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

Abstract Flowers in peach and red

Abstract Flowers 1 by Marion Hedger in peach and red

Oil, palette knife painting

18x24cm on 3.5cm deep gallery wrapped canvas
Available

I have finished my commission and I am giving it a good dose of  looking at to pick up any changes needed to call it finished. After completing it, I was in the mood for some florals, and following on from my Namibia Impressions I tried an abstracted floral. I so enjoyed painting this that I have created a mini series of them in different sizes which I shall post over the next week or so.

About this painting.
I had a tube of Winsor and Newton liquin impasto gel purchased well over a year ago and never used. I watched a couple of  You Tube videos on how to use it as I wasn't sure of the proportions. The advice varied a lot from not more than 20% to as much as you want to achieve transparency. My feeling is that 20% would be about right as I wonder about the binding of the paint with more than this.

I mixed several piles of paint, a light cream, light pink, and light blue and added a very scientific measurement of a  'dollop' of the gel to each pile. It mixed in very easily but didn't seem to bulk up the paint immediately although after a few minutes the paint became quite. stiff.

Using a palette knife I laid the paint in random patches on the canvas. I then mixed the colours for the flowers and using irregular shapes added the flowers. Finally I finished off with ivory black at the bottom and some blue/purple. The bright blue patches indicate the light bouncing about.

I am unsure if you can use the impasto gel over paint that doesn't have it in. Does anyone know the answer to this?

A close up of the knife work

Day 22 Namibia Impressions - Endless Horizons, Save the Rhino Fundraising

Namibia Impressions 22 Endless Horizons

30x30cm (12"x12") 

Oil on 3mm thick MDF canvas panel

Available 200euro, international shipping included

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

Close-up

And how it might look framed

Day 15 Namibia Impressions - Etosha, Save the Rhino Fundraising

Namibia Impressions 15 - Etosha

30x30cm (12"x12") 

Oil on 3mm thick MDF canvas panel

Available 2 00euro, international shipping included

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

 Close-up

How it might look framed 

 

Day 21 Namibia Impressions - Sunrise in the Kunene

Sunrise in Kunene

30x30cm (12"x12") 

Oil on 3mm thick MDF canvas panel

Available 2 00euro, international shipping included

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

I've really fallen behind with posting my paintings for the challenge. I have been painting and now I have the photos I will be playing catch up with the posting.

About this painting

We headed off early in the morning to track the rhinos (we had a lot of early mornings on our trip - but it was all worth it). How lucky the rhinos are to have this vast landscape to roam around in. The Kunene is a desert landscape that is also very beautiful. 

Close-up

And how it might look framed

Day 14 Namibia Impressions 14 Horizon Shimmer, Save the Rhino fundraising

Namibia Impressions 14, Horizon shimmer 2

Oil palette knife painting

15x15cm (6x6inches) on box canvas
Edges are painted black

Available 60 euro, international shipping included

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

Day 13 Namibia Impressions 13 The Beginning of the Journey, Save the Rhino fundraising

Namibia Impressions 13, The Beginning of the Journey

Oil palette knife painting
On narrow gallery wrapped canvas

400€
50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert

Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

I was taken by the colours on the ground as we flew over Namibia, the blues, purples, cyans and ochres had me fascinated. This is my version of that feeling. Some areas have lots of texture, others are smoother, it took a lot of paint.. The underpainting pokes through in places to add depth.

A close up

Day 13 Namibia Impressions 13 Work in Progress, Save the Rhino fundraising 30 paintings in 30

A work in progress. 50x60cm (20x24") on gallery wrapped canvase

We had a weekend of heavy storms and the light was so bad that I couldn't finish this one. I have a lot of catching up to do. That will teach me to include a large painting!

The bidding on day 11's painting 'Shimmering Light' is still open. Remember half of all proceeds go to Save the Rhino Trust Namibia.

Make me an offer

Day 12 Namibia Impressions 12 ACEOs, Save the Rhino fundraising 30 paintings in 30

Namibia Impressions 12 ACEOs Series 2

2.5"x3.5"

Gouache on watercolour paper over a watercolour wash

Will be Available in my Etsy store at 18 euro each
or make me an offer for all 6.

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert

Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

Day 12 sees a group of ACEOs based on the coastal fog around the west coast of Namibia this time with a slightly different colour combination. 

 

I love these colours so much I couldn't resist offering a more affordable way to buy art. These miniature paintings look great framed or displayed on a small easel on a shelf. They look even better when two or more are displayed together. See my Pinterest board for ideas on how to display small format art.

How they might look framed

 

Day 10 Namibia Impressions 10 ACEOs, Save the Rhino fundraising 30 paintings in 30

Namibia Impressions ACEOs Series 1

2.5"x3.5"

Gouache on watercolour paper over a watercolour wash

Available in my Etsy store at 18 euro each
or make me an offer for all 6.

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

Day 10 sees a group of ACEOs based on the coastal fog around the west coast of Namibia. I love these colours so much I couldn't resist offering a more affordable way to buy art. These miniature paintings look great framed or displayed on a small easel on a shelf. They look even better when two or more are displayed together. See my Pinterest board for ideas on how to display small format art.

How they might look framed

 

Day 9 Namibia Impressions 9, Save the Rhino fundraising 30 paintings in 30

Namibia Impressions 9, Etosha Sunrise

Oil palette knife painting

15x20cm (6x8inches) on box canvas
Edges are painted black

Available 80 euro, international shipping included

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

Another 6x8"for day 9. The sun rise and sunsets in Namibia are wonderful. Sometimes very bright, sometimes more subdued.

How it might look framed

Day 8 Namibia Impressions 8, Save the Rhino fundraising 30 paintings in 30

Namibia Impressions, Sea Fog

Oil palette knife painting

15x20cm (6x8inches) on box canvas
Edges are painted black

Available 80 euro, international shipping included

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

Day 8 sees another smaller 6x8" painting similar to day 1 suggesting the distance and the sea fog clearing.

A close-up

The story so far

Day 7 Namibia Impressions 7, Save the Rhino fundraising 30 paintings in 30

Namibia Impressions 7, Horizon shimmer

Oil palette knife painting

15x20cm (6x8inches) on box canvas
Edges are painted black

Available 80 euro, international shipping included

50% of the sale goes to the Save the Rhino Trust 

who patrol and monitor the desert adapted black rhinos of the Namib desert
Contact me about these paintings or to commission larger versions

A smaller painting for day 7 which once again evokes Etosha Pan, a dried up salt lake which floods in the rainy season Looking into the distance it is impossible to tell where the pan ends and the sky starts.. Painted on a smooth blended background with touches of impasto. The cool pastel colours invoke the early morning light.

HOW IT MIGHT LOOK FRAMED