Old World Splendour - Finnabair Creative Team

There are abondoned places which have been taken over by dust, rust and spiderwebs. They used to be breathtaking residences, now possessed by time and decay. The only guest inside is wind and rain. An elegant portrait still hangs within the walls of such palace, displaying desperate look full of longing for the bygone times of glory.

I attempted to recreate this mysterious atmosphere in my mixed media collage and I'd like to share my process with you.

I started with covering a canvas panel with vintage papers and stripes of paper with numerals. Everything was glued down by means of versatile Soft Gel.

To add a bit of dimentional effect, I applied a thin coat of Modeling Paste through a Weaving stencil using a palette knife and then let it dry.

I couldn’t resist but enhance the contrast with the bold lettering I created with Black Gesso and Alpha stencil.

The next step was based on Art Alchemy paints which were applied in a messy and artistic manner. I also decided on some freehand stamping with black ink here.

Such a vintage look makes a perfect framework for the composition of a rusty Mechanical Pocket Watch, washers, type writer numbers, a feather and a domino tile. Although all the little elements used in the work look old and worn, they used to make a vital part of daily life in the past.

To create some more interest and texture, I added a pinch of black, copper and bronze Micro Beads along with a  handful of bigger Glass Beads. Then they were also given a few brushstrokes of acrylics.

Then I accented the edges with a metallic copper tape.

I finished with putting a bit of Rust Pastes in chosen areas such as the corners and the Mechanicals.

I hope you enjoyed my collage story of time long gone...

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