Magenta Oleander posy still life - Day 11 of the 30 day challenge

Magenta Oleander posy still life

Palette knife painting

15x15cm (6"x6")

Oil on box canvas

Available in my Etsy store

A companion piece to yesterdays painting. This time painted from life.

I looked around the garden for flowers and it is pretty bare of flowers at the moment. Normally in September the plants come back into their own after the summer, but we haven't had any rain in a while so it's lacking much colour. The Oleander however, is still flowering away. I have several, all different colours - I'm thinking of painting the pink ones to form a trio of small posy paintings. 

About this painting

Oleanders are difficult to paint, especially alla prima. I tried to just capture the form of the petals and the general attitude of the flower. The background has more light green in it than appears in the photo, to off-set all that pink. I'm musing on whether or not, the background behind the flower needs to be darker.

White Posy still life - Day 10, 30 paintings in 30 days

White posy still life

Palette knife painting

15x15cm (6"x6")

Oil on box canvas

Available in my Etsy store

I have kept up with the challenge so far painting mostly landscapes which I post on my Joy of Colour blog. Today I took a break from the landscapes and painted flowers. Initially it started out as roses, but wiped it out twice as it just didn't seem to be working. I substituted the white flowers (forgotten what they are called, but begins with p..) form my white roses bouquet painting.

I like the texture of the flowers in this.

This would make a great gift for a flower girl or mother of the bride.

Some close-ups

A challenging challenge - Daisies and Cherries still life oil painting

Daisies and Cherries Still Life

Palette knife painting

Oil on narrow box canvas

25x30cm (10x12inch) x2cm

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

A challenging painting for the Facebook Challenge from Evhe. Evhe post two challenges a month and this is the second time I have participated.
This is the reference photo

Quite a complicated scene and, as you can see, I simplified I always like to take part in these kind of challenges as I love the different way artists interpret the same scene.

 See my previous challenge entry here

Rose Flower Arrangement still life, No.3 and 4. Miniature treasure paintings

Mini treasure flower arrangement NO. 3 

Palette knife painting by Marion Hedger

Impasto oil

10x10cm (4x4inch) on box canvas
Can be hung without a frame
This is painting No.20 in the 30 day challenge

Available for purchase

Mini treasure flower arrangement NO. 4

Palette knife painting by Marion Hedger

Impasto oil

10x10cm (4x4inch) on box canvas
Can be hung without a frame
This is painting No.21 in the 30 day challenge

Available for purchase

I enjoyed painting these little treasure, they were fun to do and the finished paintings look good with all that textured paint. These paintings would certainly brighten up a dull corner.

Here is a collage of the Rose Flower Arrangement series together

Honesty and glass palette knife painting in oils

 Honesty and glass palette knife painting

18x24cm (approx 7"x10")

Archival canvas panel

I struggled with this painting. The vase and jug are semi opaque and I had difficulty in getting that across. It is hard when using opaque paints to give the illusion of transparency. I also found the background difficult and changed it a few times. Does this one work? The green jug is made of recycled glass and is not symmetrical. I painted it a couple of times, before I discovered it wasn't just my painting LOL! What do you think, should I make it symmetrical?

Here are some close-ups of the painting

This is painting is for day 13 of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta. Pop over to my Joy of Colour blog to see the my other paintings in the challenge.

Sweet Memories - Roses still life palette knfie painting

Sweet Memories - Roses still life

palette knife paintings

24x30cm (approx 10x12inches)

Oil on canvas panel 
Available in my Etsy store

Another rose still life. I wanted a soft low key effect on this one. Here are some close-ups of the knife work

Old Fashioned - Roses still life

 Old Fashioned

Roses still life palette knife painting

24x30cm (approx 10x12")

Oil on canvas panel
Purchase information

I enjoyed painting my Ikebana series so much, I carried on painting a couple of still lifes featuring roses. This is the first and I will post the second tomorrow.

My aim was to pay particular attention to the lost and found edges and I'm quite pleased with the effect. Unfortunately the camera always make the edges of palette knife paintings seem sharper than they are.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Ikebana 3 - Yellow Chrysanthemums palette knife painting in oils

Ikebana 3 - Yellow Chrysanthemums

Palette knife oil painting on canvas panel

18x24 cm (approx 7x10 inch)

 I wanted to explore a dramatic background in this painting and use a different colour combination than my norm. It's good to try something different now and again to keep the paintings 'fresh'. I really like how this one turned out
Visit the first two paintings of the quartet, Ikebana 1 and Ikebana 2

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Ikebana 2 - white chrsanthemums

Ikebana 2 White Chrysanthemums

Oil on canvas panel

Palette knife painting

18x24cm (approx 7x10inch)

Painting No.2 in my quartet of ikebana paintings.

Of the four paintings I feel that this one is the least successful and needs further work. The chrysanths are the type that have a round head but with the lower petals hanging down. I haven't quite captured that here and I also need to do something about the vase. I will post the rework over the next couple of days.

See the post for the first painting HERE

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Ikebana 1 - Pink Chrysanthemums

Ikebana 1 - Pink Chrysanthemums

22x27cm (approx  9"x11")

oil on canvas board

Palette knife painting

I've taken a break from painting landscapes for the last couple of dates to paint some floral still lifes.

I was given a book on Ikebana by a neighbour and this started me thinking about this month's challenge on the floral forum of wetcanvas.com. This painting is inspired by the book, the challenge and my imagination.

It is the first time I have painted chrysanths and I wanted to achieve an ethereal 'look' in the painting. I used a very limited palette and started with an indistinct background using my main colours. I liked the result, if I was to do it again, I would probably make the flowers larger and blend them in more with some of the green. What do you think?

I liked the idea of using Ikebana as the basis of the painting and I have completed four paintings for the challenge so I will post another tomorrow.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE 

Give a gift of an original artwork, or gift certificate to family and friends. I will gladly gift wrap a painting and send it directly to the recipient with a gift tag. 

White Hydrangeas

Summer is a pretty dry time in my garden. After the beautiful flush of flowers in June and sometimes goes into July, the garden dries out and the flowers go into a sort of hibernation. They usually rejuvenate again in September and give me a second flush of colour.

I made a mistake this year with my white hydrangeas, I cut them almost to ground level. I was reading the instructions and merrily went ahead. It was only when I had finished I discovered that I was reading the wrong label and should not have pruned them at all! I was so annoyed with myself. I did get a few flowers but nothing that matched their splendour last year.
Here is a painting from last year that shows how big these hydrangea flowers get:

White Hydrangeas

Oil on canvas panel

30x30cm

This painting is for sale on Dailypaintworks HERE

"A taste of summer" sunflower and lavender palette knife oil painting.

 "A taste of summer" sunflower and lavender painting

19x27cm, oil on canvas board, palette knife painting
SOLD

This is a rework of one of my Garden 101 series and fresh off the easel today. At the time, I put it in my discard pile, as, although I liked the concept, the painting did not come out as expected.

I am not having a lot of success with my iris paintings at the moment, so as a change, I got this painting out and reworked it using a palette knife and fresher looking paint.
I really like it now. Quite loose and fresh looking to my eyes. Let me know what you think.
This painting is sold, contact me about any other painting HERE

Casseroled Pansies oil painting

Casseroled Pansies

Oil on canvas panel

18x24cm (approx 7"x11")

The third of my pansy paintings, this time in one of my favourite little casseroles. As well as going into the oven, this casserole will also go onto an open flame or electric element. I unpotted the pansies, and much to their disgust, I squashed the roots into the casserole (it is quite small) to give me this arrangement.

I am not sure about the lid? It looks sort of OK but every now and then, it bothers me - I've been looking at it for a few days and I am unsure of whether or not to correct it. Hubby says leave it alone - it looks OK. What do you think?

I painted a second, slightly larger on of this composition which I will post soon. You'll be pleased to know, I rescued the pansies and re-potted them, lol.


Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

You may also be interested in my first two pansy paintings:
Pansy Fever and Colourful Pansies 

Pansy Fever Oil Painting

 Pansy Fever by Marion Hedger

Oil on canvas board 24x30cm (approx 10" x 12")

Painted wet in wet.

Another pansy painting straight off the easel. I love painting these pansies, and those yellow ones really talk to me. This is slightly larger than my earlier pansy painting (see HERE) and more of a still life composition. I painted it wet in wet, trying to stay loose. I succeeded in parts, but I still find myself trying to put in all the details.
This is still wet and I will look at it tomorrow to see what needs tweaking. Those blue shadows are too blue in this photo, so I will also see if I can get a better photo. I always have trouble with photographing blues.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

In progress Colourful Panisies Oil Painting - Garden 101 series

Colourful Pansies Work in Progress

Oil on canvas panel, 18x24cm

I am working on some pansy paintings at the moment. I am cheating a little because they are not strictly from my garden, but on the way into the garden. I need something floral and colourful to paint after trying to get back into the swing after a long vacation, and these fit the bill nicely.

I am still looking at this painting to see if it is finished and what tweaks may be needed. I think I may need to work on the back purple pansy as does not recede enough.

I will post an update when finished

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Pink Hibiscus syriacus still life painting

Hibiscus syriacus by Marion Hedger
18 cm x 24 (approx 7" x 10") oil on MDF canvas panel

These flowers were picked form our hibiscus syriacus tree which produces these beautiful double flowers every summer. It was in the garden when we bought the house and is featured on the original house plans so must be at least 45 years old. I placed them in a green jug and placed some striped fabric behind it to set off the flowers. Part of my Garden 101 daily paintings.

This painting is for sale on Etsy CLICK HERE TO VIEW

See also my painting Orange Delight which uses the same striped fabric as the background.

White Hydrangeas oil painting by Marion Hedger

 White Hydrangeas Still Life

Oil on canvas board

30x30cm (12"x12")

TO BID ON THIS PAINTING CLICK HERE

These white hydrangeas welcome me every time I venture out of the back door. They sit in a large pot showing off their beautiful white heads. This is their summer plumage, but as summer goes on they will eventually turn pink then a greeny pink colour.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Magnolia Grandiflora á la Georgia Oil Painting

Magnolia Grandiflora á la Georgia

Oil painting by Marion Hedger

50x50x1cm (20"x20")

Oil on boxed canvas - no need for a frame

This was painted as part of a challenge on wetcanvas.com floral forum. The challenge was to paint magnolias in the style of Georgia O'Keefe. It was quite a fun challenge and certainly challenging. How did I do?

Lily Bouquet Acrylic painting

Lily Bouquet by Marion Hedger

40x50cm (16"x20")

Acylic on gessoed mountboard

Not for sale

This one was painted many years ago. It is a special painting for me, as my husband was away on work for several weeks, and this is the bouquet he sent me on our anniversary.

Pink Camellias Still Life Acrylic painting

 Pink Camellias Still Life painting by Marion Hedger

50x50cm Acrylic on box canvas
Can be hung as is, or framed as desired.

"The camellia is a symbol of devotion for lovers in China. - In the eyes of the Chinese, the petals reflect the spirit of a lady, and the holder of the petals (the calyx) represents the young man entrusted by the lady as her protector.

The calyx of the camellia falls with the petals when the flower has finished blooming. This is unlike most other flowers, where the calyx seems to hang around the tree even after the petals have dropped. This phenomena symbolizes an everlasting union between lovers. In many parts of China, the camellia is considered as the flower for young sons and daughters." 

Thanks to 'livingartoriginals.com' for this description