Autumn Gold palette knife painting

Artist Marion Hedger and her husband have lived in southern France for over 13 years,
and every year in the fall they take long daily drives in the countryside, eagerly on the
hunt for inspiring scenes of beauty that she can memorialize in her art. The normal
colours of the landscapes are green, blue green and purple in the summer months, but
autumn brings with it vibrant gold and russet colours that are rare and fleeting and
wondrous to behold. “Autumn Gold” captures one such scene in all its resplendent
majesty, offering the viewer a fleeting glimpse of the glory of nature in defiance of the
coming winter storms. The scene holds a special meaning for Marion:

“The gold and russet colours that spring up here in southern France are so
unusual for this area and the way the sun lights up the foliage makes me want to
stare in wonder. I so desperately wanted to capture this moment because it is
tinged with a sadness because it is a fleeting effect and will soon be gone.
Capturing this moment is what “Autumn Gold” is all about.”

Marion is always relentless pushing the boundaries of her craft, and “Autumn Gold” is no
exception. Her loose style is a conscious attempt to draw the viewer into a collaborative
act of co-creation, making each viewing a rare and cherished experience that will draw
one back again and again.

Marion explains her intent below:
“I normally get tighter and tighter the closer I get to the finishing line and I feel
that this can make the paintings look over crowded, especially when working in a
small format. I was determined to stay loose and just suggest the scene. It was a
challenge to keep the focus on the tree in the distance with all the yellow wanting
to come forward, and yet immensely satisfying to deliver the result I had
envisioned when I first experience the scene myself.”