Summer Containers - Colorful Petunias

Summer Containers - Colorful Petunias by Marion Hedger

5x7 inch on gallery wrapped canvas

Oil painting, painted with a palette knife

 Purchase details

A companion piece to my last post Fuchsia basket. This is painted from life. The local nursery always have some baskets planted up early in the season. I couldn't resist and bought 3 for the carport and front entrance. It is a nice sunny spot and they flourish there. Elsewhere I will have to wait a little longer.

There is something therapeutic about painting these small paintings full of colour. I am definitely 'in the zone' mixing the colours and playing (sorry carefully considering) with the placement of colour and what will work with what.

Preparing for summer - Fuchsia Basket 5x7inch

Fuschsia Basket

palette knife oil painting

5x7inch on gallery wrapped canvas 1.5cm thick

Available for purchase

Over the last week or so, I have been potting up my container plants ready for the late spring and early summer show. We had a few nice, warm days which always spurs me into action. Since then it has got a little colder and today we didn't see the sun at all. I know - I'm spoilt as normally our weather is so good.

As well as container gardening, I've been attempting to clear up my studio and even threw out a lot of earlier (bad!) paintings - I was really proud of myself! Maybe I'll treat myself to this lovely easel I found on pinterest

Looks good doesn't it?

Painting small, Daisy Trio Miniature Treasure oil painting

Daisy Trio

Palette knife painting

Oil on 4"x4" mini box canvas

Available for purchase

A sister painting to yesterday's painting, see here. These Minaiture Treasure paintings are fun to paint. It often takes a few tries (i.e. wiping off!) to get the right feeling for these small paintings. It's a balance between enough and too much detail.

My 'miniature treasure' paintings are small paintings, usually 4"x4" that I paint to warm up or if I only have short time to paint (although often they take longer ). The problem is that they are addictive to paint and so I start building up a series. Each one has the same heavy impasto as my larger paintings, click on the photo to enlarge it.

They are a great affordable way to start an art collection and will add spots of colour around the house. They can be framed or displayed on a mini easel.

White Daisies Miniature Treasures Painting

White daisies Miniature Treasure

Palette knife painting

Oil on 4"x4" mini box canvas

Available for purchase

My 'miniature treasure' paintings are small paintings, usually 4"x4" that I paint to warm up or if I only have short time to paint. The problem is that they are addictive to paint and so I start building up a series. Each one has the same heavy impasto as my larger paintings, click on the photo to enlarge it.

They are a great affordable way to start an art collection and will add spots of colour around the house. They can be framed or displayed on a mini easel.

They also make great gifts.

Flower Posy oil pastel painting

Flower Posy

Oil pastel on watercolor paper

5"x5"

Available for purchase 

It has been such a long time between posts on the blog, and I apologise for that. I haven't been blogging much at all over the last few months. I have just returned re-energised from a superb holiday in Namibia. This painting is inspired by an article I read in the UK magazine 'The Artist' by Soraya French - an artist I much admire - on oil pastels. I used to use oil pastels a lot after I had to stop using soft pastels and before I started painting in oils. Her article inspired me to get out my oil pastels and paint especially the part where I discovered that Liquin can be used as a solvent to blend the pastel for the first step.

Recycling old watercolours

I have been recycling a lot of my old watercolor paintings that didn't make the grade by cutting them up and reusing the paper for smaller paintings. Usually there are some nice washes that make a nice ground for floral paintings.

About this painting

 I based this painting on some of my previous painting and included some reflections which always adds something extra. I lightly laid in large areas of colour and blended the pastel with a cloth dipped in a small amount of Liquin. I left large area of the watercolour wash alone.

I have a mixture of various oil pastels for example Daler Rowney, Neopastel and Sennelier. The Sennelier are the creamiest and are superb for the last couple of couple of layer. I left it overnight to harden, and then added a few thick dots and dashes using Senneliers.

How it might look framed

Using small paintings for stress relief

Poppy Dance Miniature Treasure

Palette knife painting

10x10cm / 4"x4"

oil on mini box canvas

Available on Daily Paintworks

Poppy Song Miniature Treasure

Palette knife painting

10x10cm / 4"x4"

oil on mini box canvas

Available on Daily Paintworks

I have been busy painting a commissioned landscape. My first commission and on an unusaul format 30x80cm (12"x32"). For a little light relief I took time out to paint these small paintings using a limited colour scheme. They were fun to do, they have lots of texture and would brighten up a small space either individually or both together.

Challenge Painting - Summer Romance, Pink Roses still life in oil

Summer Romance

Palette knife oil painting

15x15cm (6x6inch) on box canvas 1.5cm deep

Bid by auction on DailyPaintworks

This little painting is in response to a painting challenge on Facebook hosted by Evhe. It is always good to get together with a group of artists and compare paintings. I am always amazed at how different the paintings can be when painted from the same subject. But then again, that is what makes painting such good fun.
I have put this painting up for auction on Daily Paintworks. The auction runs for 5 days after which the painting will revert to normal price.

Working loose at painting Peonies

Bowl of Beauties floral still life

Peony oil painting

20x20cm deep box canvas (1.5inch)

Edges painted purple

Painted with a palette knife.

Available on Daily Paintworks

I was the this month's host of the Plant Parade on Wetcanvas.com - a monthly flower painting challenge in the Florals and Botanical forum. I chose peonies as the subject with a challenge of painting them loosely.

Soft Edges
Obtaining soft edges with a palette knife is difficult, so I first painted the peonies followed by the background. Where I wanted soft edges, I swiped palette knife across the edge to soften it and mix the paint. Where necessary I added extra paint on the knife before swiping going from the petal into the background and sometimes vice versa.
Close-ups
Here are some close-ups showing this

Summer Colour, container flowers oil painting

Summer Colours, Container flower painting

Oil Palette knife painting

25x30cm (10"x12") on box canvas (gallery wrapped)

The edges are painted black.

I was very good this year and potted up my containers early. My reward is a beautiful, colourful display on my patio.

Some close-ups of the palette knife work

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Over the garden wall Palette knife oil painting

Over the garden wall

Palette knife oil painting

On MDF canvas panel

18x24cm (approx 7"x10")

Available by auction on Daily Paintworks

Last month a local village held it's annual rose festival. This area is well known for growing flowers for the perfume industry (Grasse is not far away), and this village is renown for growing roses and extracting the oil.

Walking through the village, this beautiful rose was making a huge statement in someone's garden and I couldn't resist taking a few photos. I also came away with another climbing rose and several other plants for the garden.

Some close-ups of the texture achieved with the palette knife.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Kaleidoscope - Colourful tulip still life abstract Palette knife painting

Kaleidoscope - Colourful tulip still life abstract

Palette knife painting

40x40 (16x16") cm on 5 cm (2") box canvas

Painted on a black gesso ground

No frame needed as it can be hung without a frame.
Available for purchase 250€ int. shipping included

About this painting
This painting is a rework of a partly finished realistic tulip painting. I wanted an abstract feel, so I lost some of the original tulips (there were a lot of them) and made the remaining ones larger. But, they still looked a little too realistic and I felt myself tightening up with the painting.

Knowing that I would finish up with realism if I carried on, I took drastic action!. I got out a large palette knife and scraped over the whole surface to lose the definition. I was starting to like it better. I continued applying paint and scraping back in some places. I am now calling it done.
It certainly is colourful - an antidote to today's grey and rainy day.

Sunflower Duo Oil Palette Knife Painting 4"x4"

Sunflower Duo Oil Painting

Palette knife painting

10x10cm (4"x4") oil on panel

Available on Daily Paintworks

The edges of the panel have been painted black for display on a plate stand. Or the painting would look great framed.

Spring Garden Flowers Miniature Treasure oil paintings

Spring Garden Flowers Miniature Treasure

Oil on panel Palette knife painting

15x20cm (4"x6")
Available on Daily Paintworks

A lively colourful Miniature treasure painting to celebrate the arrival of Spring.
The edges have been painted black so it can be displayed on a plate stand, or it would look good framed - no glass needed.

 Some of my other miniature treasures available on Daily Paintworks

Almond blossom WIP Still Life oil palette knife painting

Almond Blossom Palette knife painting WIP

24x30cm (approx 10x12inch)

Oil on Canvas Panel

Work in Progress

As you read this I shall be on my way to Japan. Hopefully the cherry blossom will be in bloom and I will come away with heaps of photos to work from when I get back. I may also do some sketching while I am there.

To get me in the mood, I cut some of my almond blossom an placed it in this vase. The vase is from a set of three, all slightly different but all with odd angled sides. Talk about making things difficult to paint! This painting is not quite finished - I still have to work on the branch on the table and, now that I see the photo, alter the stem on the left.

Contact me about this, or any other painting HERE

4x6 Miniature treasure painting - garden series

 A collection of four of my 4"x6" Miniature treasure paintings in the garden series.

All available at $40 on Daily Paintworks

The hardest thing about painting these small paintings is coming up with the idea. I can sometimes spend considerable time coming up with a suitable concept. I look through my photos, art magazines and web images for 'the spark', never copying but building on an idea.

These Miniature Treasures have found new homes in the UK and USA

If you are interesting in purchasing or commissioning one, or maybe more to make a stunning group, please contact me here

Three Roses Palette Knife Painting in Oil

Three Roses Palette Knife Painting

Oil on MDF canvas panel

15cmx15cm (6"x6") 

Available on Daily Paintworks

 This painting has a tactile impasto surface giving it a 3D look.
The edges of the panel have been painted black so it can be displayed on a plate stand. This painting would also look good in a floating frame.

About this painting
A larger painting of the rose paintings I painted in January. I wanted to see if the concept worked at a larger size. I use paint directly from the tube to achieve a luscious pure colour. For the roses I used Scarlet Lake unmixed to maintain that beautiful red, with permanent rose and alazarin crimson for the darker areas.

Some close-ups of the knife work

Garden Poppies 2 Miniature Treasure palette knife painting

 Garden Poppies 2 Miniature Treasure

palette knife painting

acrylic on MDF panel

10x15cm (4"x6")
Available on Daily Paintworks

This is a sister painting to yesterday's post

 

The edges have been painted black, so it can be displayed on a plate stand. It would also look good framed (no glass needed).
Here is an example of it framed.

Garden Poppies Miniature Treasure palette knife painting

 Garden Poppies Miniature Treasure

palette knife painting

acrylic on MDF panel

10x15cm (4"x6")
Available on Daily Paintworks

I'm looking forward to the spring. The poppies will soon be popping up all over the garden. I let these poppies self seed each year and often help them by collecting the seed and sowing them. This year we should have a really good display as we have been rearranging the garden and poppies just love disturbed ground.

About this painting
This was painted with a palette knife, but because I used acrylics there is much less texture than when I use oils. I have not used acrylics much over the last couple of years, but I did like the fast drying and not having to treat the painting so delicately and waiting for it to dry. The surface has been varnished for protection.

The edges have been painted black, so it can be displayed on a plate stand. It would also look good framed (no glass needed).
Here is an example of it framed.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Sunny Trio Miniature Treasure, Sunflower Floral Painting in oil

Sunny Trio Miniature Treasure
palette knife painting

oil on loose canvas

10x15cm (4"x5")

Available for auction starting at $36

This miniature treasure is painted with a palette knife on canvas from a canvas pad by Belle Arti from Italy, who also make the canvas panels I use. It is a medium cotton canvas and primed. The surface is quite smooth but it accepts the palette knife quite nicely and I enjoy painting on this surface. I used a ground of yellow on the canvas which breaks through in place and adds light to the painting.

See yesterday's miniature treasure painting of calla lilies HERE

At the edge of the sunflowers palette knife painting in oils

At the edge of the sunflowers

Palette knife painting

Oil on gessoed MDF panel

15x15 cm (6x6 inch)

Available on DailyPaintworks

My latest Miniature treasure painting. Still looking forward to the spring!

Some close-ups of the knife work