tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58377416951265694822012-01-28T10:36:32.301+01:00Welcome to my floral art blog. A place to share my passion for art combined with flowers of every shape and size.Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-57717417868491263642012-01-24T20:34:00.000+01:002012-01-24T20:34:18.583+01:00

Slipper Orchid painting by Marion Hedger 40x40cm (16"x16") on black gessoed box canvas This was painted in response to the wetcanvas.com floral forum monthly challenge. I used my own reference taken at Montreal Botanical Gardens a couple of years ago. I used a blending technique where I placed the paint onto the canvas and then used a soft brush to blend that paint together. It was painted

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-44998400143184613832012-01-11T18:01:00.000+01:002012-01-11T18:01:22.619+01:00

Orchid Crowd by Marion Hedger 50x60 cm 20"x24" Acylic on canvas Here are some WIP pics for this painting Stage 1 The colourful underpainting using warm colours for the highlights and cool colours for the shadows. Stage 2 Making the colours look more real. A true fauvist's delight  Stage 3 Breaking up the areas more and more. It is starting to come alive now. After this stage

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-32015287634838463392012-01-09T15:55:00.000+01:002012-01-09T16:14:45.663+01:00

This is one of my earlier works that I realise I have not previously shared with you.  Dancing Fuchsias by Marion Hedger Acylic on box canvas 40x40x5cm (16"x16"x2") My Website   This was one of my first paintings on a black gessoed background. I cropped a larger photo to obtain the a more macro image and generally scumbled all the colours on until the depth of colour required was achieved,

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-63740740340167477252011-10-30T17:25:00.000+01:002011-10-30T17:25:18.385+01:00

These two small postcard sized paintings were painted for the October Plant Parade challenge in the wetcanvas.com floral forum. The challenge was to choose high altitude wild flowers to paint. Both these paintings are of flowers from the Pyrenees Mountains. Doing these brought back memories of my holiday in the Pyrenees a few years ago. It was May and the mountains were covered in all sorts of

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-47427373458161471732011-10-12T21:56:00.000+02:002011-10-12T21:56:24.312+02:00

White antheriums in pastel A4 size on black la carte pastel card Another anthurium painting from photos taken at Parc Pheonix in Nice. The unique shape of anthuriums always make them interesting to paint. I combined this with another of my favourites - painting on black. In this painting the flowers live up to their common name of 'flamingo flowers'.

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-57946585674447167812011-09-29T11:40:00.000+02:002011-12-06T11:49:45.856+01:00

Red and white amarylis macro oil on linen canvas 50x50cm (20"x20") I started this a few months ago when I first started using oils. At first I wasn't happy with the way it was turning out. I couldn't get the form and shadows correct. I gained a bit of knowledge about oils over the next few months and when I continued it went much more smoothly. I think I've nailed it now what do you

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-16368260857801848402011-09-19T12:30:00.000+02:002011-09-19T12:30:00.579+02:00

Another blue flower painting, this time an abstract in acrylic. Abstract Morning Glory Acrylic 30x30cm (12"x12") on canvas board  To Contact me about this or other paintings HERE I used one of my own photographs to paint the basic outline keeping the design abstracted as much as possible. I then painted in the flowers and backgrounds also trying to keep the blocking in abstracted. I think

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-11175098376760105122011-09-17T19:15:00.000+02:002011-09-20T14:54:45.623+02:00

Red Poppy on Black by Marion Hedger 30x30cm Acrylic on box canvas NFS but commissions accepted I painted this for my Mum on her 80th birthday as poppies were her favourite flower. I started with a black gessoed canvas, roughly sketched in the flower and then started scumbling in white paint for the highlights. After obtaining the basic shape plus shadow areas, I used a yellow for the

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-61537878323764936842011-09-11T22:14:00.000+02:002011-09-11T22:48:53.860+02:00

This is the second painting for the blue flower challenge on wetcanvas.com  Blue Delphinium 30x40cm (12"x16") Oil pastel on black Somerset Velvet paper Somerset velvet is a printing paper and it has a nice soft springy feel. I love using it for oil pastels and soft pastels. I also like using black as the background for florals as the black makes the colours sing, as is the case here

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-52513609377567570742011-09-08T21:19:00.000+02:002011-09-08T21:19:32.007+02:00

I've been looking some photos of my paintings and I see there are several that I haven't shared with you. I shall try to catch up and post them over the next few days.  In November 2009 I hosted a challenge in the Floral Forum of wetcanvas.com. The challenge I set was to paint blue flowers. This was my first entry:  Blue Anemone by Marion HedgerAcrylic on canvas board 20x20cm (8"x8") At about

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-62474730388414484622011-08-02T05:29:00.000+02:002011-08-02T05:29:19.871+02:00

Anthuriums on ParadeOil pastel painting by Marion Hedger  A local botanical garden has several different types of antheriums in their glasshouse and I think they make fascinating subjects. I couldn't resist this composition and trying to capture that smooth waxiness of the petals.

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-55754771426192606792011-07-27T18:45:00.001+02:002011-09-17T19:19:11.929+02:00

I entered this painting into the weekly challenge on dailypaintworks.com. The challenge was to paint from nature using a limited palette of cadmium yellow light, cadmium red, ultramarine blue and white, just using 3 brushes - a large, medium and small, and to painting it within an hour. Hydrangeas by my back door Oil on gessoed board 20x30cm These hydrangeas are already past their best,

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-71983400059701097232011-07-20T16:52:00.002+02:002011-07-20T17:21:39.063+02:00

This is another one of my loosening up exercises, this time base on one of Richard Schmid's work. Summer Bonanza after Richard Schmid by Marion Hedger Oil on canvas 41x33cm (16x13") I started with an acrylic wash in pale blue. Then using a 1" wash brush, I brushed in some loose, random stipes using red oxide diluted with odourless mineral spirits, followed by a few loose brushstrokes of green.

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-14418934220807558052011-07-19T18:00:00.002+02:002011-07-20T16:54:53.125+02:00

I am on a quest to loosen up my floral oil paintings I have been scouring the internet for modern day artists that have the 'knack'. I have been studying their work and practicing my technique. My work has gradually become looser as a natural progression, especially since I have been using oils - did I say that I love oils? - but I want to achieve that looseness that looks effortless (Haha!). I

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-79058421398244036182011-06-07T20:46:00.000+02:002011-06-07T20:46:10.678+02:00

Spring Irises by Marion Hedger40x40cm (16"x16")Acrylic on canvasI started these irises in the spring of 2008 from life as these were growing in my garden at the time. I left it unfinished until recently as I was unsure of how to finish it. It was my first attempt at glazing with medium and I wasn't enjoying using the glazing medium. As I am used to using the acrylic straight from the tube, or

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-17293482312633581832011-05-26T17:57:00.001+02:002011-05-26T20:44:50.149+02:00

Magnolia Still Life by Marion HedgerOils, 40x40cm on boxed canvas This painting was painted using an old watercolour painting as the basis. The original was painted on grey paper as an experiment. It originally had just the one open magnolia on the bottom left and three buds. When I came across it again, I thought "That doesn't look too bad" so ,as I am still in my oil phase, I decided to paint

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-2242286078108900312011-05-25T14:33:00.000+02:002011-05-25T14:33:08.703+02:00

 Magnolia Trioby Marion Hedger40x40cm Oil on boxed canvas This month's challenge in the Floral/Botanicals forum of wetcanvas was that beautiful spring flower the magnolia. This was painted from a combination of two photos, one of my own and the other from this month's host. Unfortunately I have no progress pics as my camera gave up the ghost. The good news is that I have now bought myself a new

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-24943540292175214072011-05-19T14:14:00.006+02:002011-05-19T15:26:00.799+02:00

After the success with my bronze iris, I started on a yellow iris. Yellow is such a hard colour and I have found it hard work. I decided I needed a break from the concentrated work and had a bit of fun with these. Cup cakes seem to be the rage at the moment - and the best part is that they have no hip expanding calories! They are all 5"x7"Acrylic on canvas board

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-75415470811641948112011-05-18T19:19:00.000+02:002011-05-18T19:19:36.258+02:00

On Sunday 22nd May I will be participating in 'Journée des Chevalets' - A day of the easels - along the Promenade des Flots Bleus in St Laurent du Var, here on the riviera. This is where several local artists, from all over the Côte d'Azur get together to display their art to the public en plein aire. During the summer months there are several  'Journée des Chevalets' and 'Artistes dans la Rue' (

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-17000538804731919762011-05-10T20:05:00.001+02:002011-05-25T14:43:20.229+02:00

Bronze Beauty30x60cm Oil on box canvasby Marion HedgerThis is on my easel at the moment. Not sure if it is finished so need to look with fresh eyes tomorrow.Here, in Provence, Irises are king at this time of year. This is one that I planted a couple of years ago from a small rhizome. It looks wonderful in real life with a beautiful colour that changes from almost black through to a red purple and

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-28248463969195932212011-05-04T16:45:00.000+02:002011-05-04T16:45:11.561+02:00

Calla Lily Lights by Marion Hedger30x40cm oil pastel painting on blue colourfix paper I have some lovely calla lilies growing under the shade of my magnolia grandiflora. They give a great stately display from early April until May lightening a shady corner. Here are some WIP pics. The drawing with reference photoStage 1 blocking in the lights and darks Step 2 - breaking up the massesFor some

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-82476772689118100192011-04-28T10:32:00.000+02:002011-04-28T10:32:31.098+02:00

I have recently started using oils after joining an oil painting group each Friday. I have found that I really like the feel of painting with oils and it is fast becoming my favourite medium. I still have much to learn and so far I have only painted (not quite) alla prima. I was hesitating how to start, and in the end decided just to go for it. Here are a couple of the flower studies that I did

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-1722653878989951502011-04-03T09:02:00.001+02:002011-04-03T09:06:58.558+02:00

Last week exhibited two of my watercolours at a watercolour and porcelain painting exhibition held at the Salle des Meules in Vence. The exhibitors are all part of AVF, an organisation that helps newcomers (and not so new) to the area settle in. It organises many activities and is a great way to meet new people. Each year the members of the watercolour club hold an exhibition together with the

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-8664317732284598342011-03-14T10:45:00.000+01:002011-03-14T10:45:27.436+01:00

Oil Pastel 30x40cm on black Somerset velvet paper Another painting created for a wetcanvas challenge. Thanks to Dewi for introducing me to these beautiful flowers. I chose a black backgound for this painting because I love the way the black makes the oil pastel colour really sing. This also works for soft pastels, and gives a more vibrant look to the painting. Somerset Velvet is a printing

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-83125524848795145992010-12-11T09:17:00.004+01:002010-12-11T17:11:43.532+01:00

I am taking part in a miniature art exchange on wetcanvas.com with the theme "Anything that doesn't walk". I have based most of mine around flowers (surprise, surprise) using watercolour. I experimented with a looser style on several of them ahd share a couple of them here. Tangled Twigs Autumn Vines They are both 10x15 cm (4"x6"). They're fun to do and exciting, as the outcome is surprising. I

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-62029332136993069772010-10-31T09:29:00.004+01:002010-11-01T08:59:22.330+01:00

  Swinging Datura 30x40cm watercolour on 140lb Langton wc paper An appropriate painting to put up at Halloween - "Datura belongs to the classic "witches' weeds," along with deadly nightshade, henbane and mandrake. Most parts of the plants contain toxic hallucinogens, and datura has a long history of use for causing delirious states and death. It was well known as an essential ingredient of

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-56258454198517910382010-10-12T15:21:00.001+02:002010-10-31T09:45:31.795+01:00

Last of the Summer Magnolias 40x40 cm Acrylic on boxed canvas I have a beautiful Magnolia Grandiflora in the garden that is over 10 metres high but I have never completed a painting of the magnolias. Towards the end of summer I thought 'Oh no I'm going to miss it again' so I immediately picked one and plonked it in a jug. It was just past it's prime but as the last one left I decided

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-12453524820041258342010-10-06T09:44:00.000+02:002010-10-06T09:44:39.831+02:00

 Sunflower Watercolour 30x40cm Another sunflower painted for the same challenge as "Sunflower Fire" this time in watercolour. To start this painting, I liberally applied masking fluid in a random pattern - squiggly lines and splashes over the paper. After that was dry I wet the paper and dropped in yellow, red and blue washes. I then sketched in the sunflowers following the reference but adapting

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-59683269595313063722010-10-05T10:08:00.001+02:002010-10-06T09:41:10.611+02:00

Sunflower Fire30x40cm soft pastel on sanded card.  This painting is also from another challenge on Wetcanvas.com and thank you to Kay (KreativeK) for providing it. I know I said that I was no longer painting with soft pastels, but I keep getting drawn back in to using them and the strong colours in the reference shouted soft pastels at me. I discovered some Sennelier fine sanded card in my

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-48645361138815870972010-07-23T13:50:00.002+02:002010-08-31T12:22:00.174+02:00

After completing my poppy medley, I had the urge to paint more poppies. I gave myself a stern lecture and insisted I finish some half finished paintings first before starting something new. Red poppies on black I started this one a couple of months ago. It is in oil pastel and I wanted to see if I could portray poppies in oil pastel. I love painting them in soft pastel and I have also painted

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-7814335915812425732010-06-13T22:30:00.001+02:002010-07-04T10:22:10.643+02:00

Poppy Medley 30x30cm coloured pencil on sanded card.  This painting is from the May Plant Parade challenge on Wet Canvas. I cropped one of the photos and painted the underpainting in my usual way but this time using water solouble neopastel and water to  cover the paper. I have used the neopastels for the under painting on several oil pastel paintings and it works well for me.  Initially I

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-82213086047940496712010-03-22T19:30:00.001+01:002010-03-22T19:38:05.192+01:00

Spring Jonquils25x32cm oil pastel on black somerset velvet paper. The Floral and Botanicals forum of wetcanvas.com January challenge was to paint white flowers. One of the supplied references was a lovely photo of some white jonquils which I couldn't resist. Painting white flowers is quite a challenge for me as I find it extremely hard to get the right balance of white and shadows. I

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-635517288647505232010-03-13T08:47:00.002+01:002010-03-22T19:38:55.312+01:00

I have been selling cards at Greetings Card Universe (GCU) for a while now. I use my paintings and photographs to create original cards. I thought I would share with you some of my art cards for easter/spring available via GCU. These cards make These cards are a card and gift at the same time as they can be framed as a keepsake by the recipient.

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-36048035393480145432010-01-19T11:21:00.003+01:002010-03-13T08:18:51.325+01:00

I challenged myself by setting a time limit for these two studies. I allowed myself 20 minutes for each. I wanted to see if I could achieve a nice loose painterly feel, which I think I have managed. Both of these studies are in soft pastel, on Fisher sanded paper. Both are 20x20cm (8"x8"). The pink rudbeckia painting is my favourite as I love that combination of the pink with the turquoise and

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-6269246645825037292009-06-29T15:24:00.000+02:002009-06-29T16:36:00.474+02:00

Pink RoseAcrylic 40x40cm on box canvasI painted this rose as part of a monthly challenge on wetcanvas.The challenge was to paint a rose macro in a colour you found difficult. I always find pinks difficult as they can come out either too sugary, too blue or too red. The reference is from a rose in my garden. The area where I live used to be very well known for growing roses for the perfume

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-19729477473916842662009-06-14T20:06:00.000+02:002009-06-18T10:34:24.186+02:00

PARROT TULIP DANCESoft Pastel 40 x 60cm on wallis paperThis painting was created from a photo I took at a local village flower show. The flower show is an annual event and the whole village including the castle/chateau is festooned with flower arrangements. It really is a must to see if you are ever in the French riviera in April. Following on from painting pastels the colourful way, I decided to

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-65751468268267049512009-01-25T18:47:00.001+01:002009-06-18T10:31:22.745+02:00

I decided to use an orange for my colour study.This is on the reverse side of a cream Ingres paper, A4 size. And yes, the shape of the orange is a bit squashed.I forgot to say that we are using a limited range of pastels for this workshop so it is economical too. Step 1 Laying in the blocks of colour to differentiate the lights from the darks, using warm colours for the lights and cool colours

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-84205217264538341302009-01-25T17:44:00.000+01:002009-02-07T10:31:24.916+01:00

I have been participating in a workshop on the artists' site http://www.wetcanvas.com/ on how to explore colour. The workshop is using still lifes as subjects and aims to make painting them fun, which I am definitely having.The workshop is being run by Charlotte Herczfeld [Colorix is her wetcanvas name] and is as entertaining as it is instructional. Starting with how to see blocks, it quickly

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837741695126569482.post-42792633645891568482008-05-18T17:02:00.000+02:002009-02-07T15:36:55.481+01:00

This is one of my latest paintings."Spring Freesias" on colorfix paper. 24x30cm.Along with the daffodils the freesias were some of the first flowers to appear in the garden, and they gave it such a lift after the bareness of winter. I picked a bunch and their colours inspired me to paint them. I had some dark blue coloured colorfix paper and decided to try coloured pencils. I am not very

Marion Hedgernoreply@blogger.com0