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

Abstract Tulips palette knife painting, oil on canvas panel

Abstract Tulips

Palette knife painting

18x24cm (approx 7"x10")

Oil on canvas board

Available in my Etsy shop

My tulips are all finished now - but the irises are on their way - so it's not all bad!

This was painted while the tulips were in their prime. It started out as impressionist/realism but I got carried away. I took a palette knife to the surface and swiped it over the painting. This gave a lovely loose abstract feel. A few lines finished off the painting.

Some close-ups

Poppy Trio Palette knife painting in oils

Poppy Trio Palette knife painting

20x20cm (8"x8") on box canvas
The sides of the canvas are painted black
No frame required

Day 24 of the 30 day challenge

Available for purchase in my Etsy Store

The thirty day challenge has now finished and I can relax a little.  I have been posting my paintings for the challenge on my daily painting blog as it has been too difficult to keep up with the two blogs. Over the next few days I will repost my flower paintings on this blog.

About this painting
This is an upcycled painting, also of poppies, that I sort of liked but it was a bit dark. I decided to redo the painting (the original one had 5 poppies which also made it a bit crowded). I first painted the highlights with cadmium yellow and then hit it with the red. The painting is now much brighter and livelier and has more impact.

Some close-ups of the knife work

 

Newsletter

I will be sending out my first today or tomorrow. Sign up for my newsletter or blog using the subscription boxes on the left hand column, and you will be entered into a draw for my Sunflowers miniature treasures painting. You have up until the 7th February to be in with a chance.
 

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

Rose still life flower arrangement No. 1 and 2, miniature treasures

Rose still life flower arrangement No.1

Mini treasure Palette knife painting

Impasto oil

10x10cm (4x4inch) on box canvas
This is painting No.18 in the 30 day challenge

This painting is now SOLD

Rose still life arrangement No. 2

Mini treasure Palette knife painting

Impasto oil

10x10cm (4x4inch) on box canvas
Can be hung without a frame
This is painting No.19 in the 30 day challenge

Available for purchase in my Etsy store

For the last few days I have been painting florals for the 30 day challenge. These two little miniature paintings were inspired by a larger painting I did after French Impressionist Henri le Sidaner. The painting was a table still life which inclueded a vase of flowers. When I cropped the painting for some close-up shots of the knife work, the crop of the flowers caught my eye. These are the first two paintings in the series. The series will include four of these miniature treasures as I only have four of these mini canvasses.

Close-ups of the knife work
No.1

 No.2

These paintings are painted with thick impasto paint on a yellow ground. It's funny how an idea can spark off several paintings, especially when I have been procrastinating for so long about using these small canvasses. That's one of the good things about participating in a challenge like this, it makes you think outside of the box.

Remembering Summer - Pink Hydrangeas palette knife painting in oils

Memories of summer

Palette knife painting in oils

30x30cm (12"x12) on MDF canvas panel

Available for sale in my Etsy store 

This is painting 14 in the 30 paintings in 30 day challenge

I have several of these hydrangea bushes outside the back door. They have hugh flower heads - although that does depend on if I remember to keep them watered. That is the only draw back of hydrangeas, they do dry out very quickly in our summer heat. The good thing about these hydrangeas is that they don't need watering!

Some close ups

Pink Hydrangeas still life palette knife painting

Pink Hydrangeas still life

palette knife painting

Oil on canvas panel, 30cmx30cm (12x12inch)

Available in my Etsy store

I am harking back to summer with this painting. These hydrangeas, picked from the garden, come from bushes that were in the garden when we arrived. They have some massive blooms, but they do need to be kept watered in the summer - not easy in the Provence summer.

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 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. 

Pendulous Petunias, oil painting

 Pendulous Petunias

Oil on canvas panel

24x18cm (approx 7x10")

palette knife painting

Bid on this painting on DPW Here

This painting was part of my 30 days hath September challenge which I have placed for auction on Daily Paintworks.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

My smaller paintings make excellent gifts. I will also gift wrap a painting and sending direct to the recipient if you prefer.

Iris Dancing Queens Final - oil painting

 Iris Dancing Queens

Palette knife painting

18x24cm (approx 7x10inch)

oil on canvas MDF panel

I worked on this a little more today, adding a few holes between the irises, some pink and more colour to the background. I am calling it done.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Iris Dancing Queens, oil palette knife painting, Day 30, 30 days hath September challenge

Iris Dancing Queens

Palette knife painting

18x24cm (approx 7x10inch)

oil on canvas MDF panel

These irises are the first flowers that pop up in my spring garden. They are always a welcome sign that spring is arriving. I think I need to put in some sky (in this case wall) holes to give the irises some breathing space. Normally I would let the painting stand for a couple of days and paint the finishing touches before posting, but the as I am posting them immediately some will need final adjustments. I think the next time I am involved in a challenge I need to go smaller LOL

Iris Dancing Queens is the last of the paintings in the challenge. I started with a floral and finish with a floral. A big drum roll please ........ I painted 30 and posted everyday. It certainly was a worthwhile challenge to participate in, and a big thank you to Lesle Saeta for coming up with the idea and hosting everyone's entries. A welcome bonus of the challenge is that I have also got to see lots of other artwork.


I mainly concentrated on landscapes for this challenge so please visit my Joy of Colour blog to see the other entries. It wasn't intentional as I didn't have any plans at all and just painted the ideas that came to mind as time went on.

Hanging Wisteria - watercolour abstract

 

Hanging Wisteria watercolour

35x24cm on NOT watercolour paper

For sale in my Etsy store, see HERE

A loose and free painting of wisterias. I wet the paper and painted most of this wet-in-wet. Gradually as it dried I added more and more details.

I like the colours and effect of this one and I had fun doing it.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Petunia Bonus oil painting, Day 21, 30 days hath September

Petunia Bonus oil painting

18x24cm

Oil on MDF canvas panel

Day 21, 30 days hath September

This painting is a bonus. Every year I buy several hanging baskets in the spring, like most of us do, of course. The petunias last until about the middle of August and then just seem to fade. 

I put this pot of petunias at the back of the garden (I hate throwing away any sort of plant). Early this week I saw that it had sprung back to life and the petunias were so nice and bright. I placed them on a ledge to admire them and then a shaft of sunlight hit them lighting them up nicely. Of course I had to paint them - hence the title.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Dancing Queens - Day 2 30 days hath September

Dancing Queens - Rudbeckias

Day 2 30 Days Hath September Challenge

Oil on gessoed panel, palette knife painting

15x20cm (6"x8")

The second painting in the challenge and I am no more organised than yesterday. I have been wanting to paint my rudbeckias for the last few weeks so the perfect challenge for today. I used a prepared gessoed MDF panel that I had painted with a blue and pink underpainting. There's was quite a bit of texture on the panel so I decided to use thick paint applied with a palette knife to compliment the background.



See yesterday's painting HERE

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Blue Trio Clematis painting in acrylic.

Blue Trio Clematis painting

40x60cm

Acrylic on box canvas so no need for a frame

Click here to purchase

I painted this clematis painting en plein aire a few years ago. I liked the composition but struggled with the background and eventually settled on a yellow complement background. It has been hanging on my wall since then but the background always bugged me. Last week I had the urge to redo the background and settled on this pale ochre background with a touch of orange. I like it a lot now and I think sets off the clematis flowers nicely. Unfortunately, I lost my previous photos in a computer crash so cannot show you the old painting for comparison. It is funny how some paintings have to sit for a while waiting for the right time for inspiration to strike and become finished.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Poppy sunshine trio oil painting

 Poppy sunshine trio

20x40cm (8"x16") oil on thick box canvas

canvas sides are painted dark blue so can be hung without a frame

See here to purchase

Today I just felt like painting poppies.

Contact me about this or any other painting HERE

Floral Paintings Display

I am part of a group of local artists called "Peintres dans la rue" (Painters in the street). During the summer months we exhibit our paintings in the streets of the perched villages that this area is known for. It is always a wonderful backdrop for the paintings. Yesterday we exhibited in Le Rouret. It was a beautiful day and the plane trees in the square provided lots of shade.
Here are some of my florals displayed on a stand my husband made for me.

Contact me about for more information HERE