Thursday, August 2, 2012

Inspiration a la Finnabair

As many of you know, I had the privilege, along with over 60 other ladies, to take a class with an amazing artist, the great Anna Dabrowska (aka Finnabair). This event was organized by Scrap en Masse and was a huge success. Meeting such an inspiring artist was one of the best experience in my life!

I always wanted to try mix-media art. When I started painting a few year ago, I added Saran Wrap and Newspaper to my art so it would have more relief. But this was not satisfactory to me, I really wanted to add a third dimension to what I was doing. Taking Anna's class allowed me to try mediums that always intimidated me, which kept me from taking the leap. I had no technique or method to use the mediums, pastes, sealers, etc. During the class with Finnabair, we created the cover for an art journal, which I will show in a future post. This was a reveal for me; it opened the door to another world that I want to explore more and more.

So yesterday, I created a sign for my scraproom door, my Creative Cellar. 

The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod
The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod

I took one of my unused canvas and started by applying modelling paste with a mask to create a flowery background.

The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod
The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod
I applied a mix of pigments and glimmer mist to colour my canvas. The elements I used come from my own stash, but I also include an old key that my Dad had in his 'treasure box' (aka his mancave), a button that used to be on my hubby's military uniform, some dragonflies my friend Diane gave me, as well as lace and corrugated board. As a finishing touch, I applied the beautiful LuminArte Silk glaze and covered the whole canvas with a gloss protective sealer. So I did what Finnabair teached us, but added my personal touch to the mix!


The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod
The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod
I love this new mix-media style and will probably create more and more. And now, I have a lovely sign to walk by every time I enter my scraproom :)


The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod
The Creative Cellar, Nathalie Noreau-McLeod

Happy creating!