Friday, August 16, 2013

In the style of Finn

Hello everyone!  Today I have a mixed media canvas that I did after my daughter and I took two classes with Anna Dabrowska, aka Finnabair, at our favorite paper arts store, The Queen's Ink, in Savage, Maryland.  We have loved Finn's work for a long time and were so delighted when we heard that she was coming to the Queen's!  We had two fabulous days of creativity and I'll share what we made soon.  But, I came away so enamored of Finn's technique and style of working that I had to make another piece somewhat like we did in class.  I had found some fantastic seaside papers that owner Patti had just gotten in.  This has been my summer for beach and seaside themed projects and so I just had to have all the papers.  They are truly beautiful.   I decided to use them to make one last beach project this summer!!  Here is the finished canvas.

 
 
I glued one of the sheets of paper down to an 8x8 canvas and used heavy body gel medium through one of Finn's new stencils. I used pieces of a shell themed napkin to add some transparent shells to the background.  Then, because I didn't want to cover the design of the paper, I used Perfect Pearls to spray the entire piece allowing the design to still be visible.  The shells and jelly fish in the corner and the border are the paper's design.  Then I got  out my collection of shells.  I've collected shells for years and I thought this would be a good place to use some of them.  I also used some shell beads and some chip board sea life pieces that Linda from Funkie Junkie Boutique gifted me in an order.  Thank you, Linda!  I played with the arrangement a bit, but it came together quite quickly.  I glued it all down with Glossy Accents, although I could have used gel medium, too.  I then took a sticker from the set of papers and put that at the top.  I sprayed the whole thing again with Perfect Pearls spray and used Silks transparent acrylics dry brushed over the entire piece.  I used my finger to rub some gold Gilders' Paste over the shells and some of the background.  Here are some details.
 


 
 
 
 
I'm very pleased with the way this turned out.  I love what I call Finn's encrusted look and I think this has that quality. 
I'm done with summer projects now!  I've put  all my summer papers and odds and ends away.  It's time to move on to late summer, Halloween and Fall.  But, I've  had so much fun remembering fun days at the beach. 
 
I'm going to enter this piece in the Frilly and Funkie challenge, which is By the Seaside. 
 
Thank you for visiting today.  I'm so happy to have you take the time to stop by my blog.  I hope you have a wonderful and creative day.
 
 

15 comments:

  1. Fabulous canvas Mary Anne. I am doing a class with Finn next Saturday. Does she sell her beautiful stencils at the class by any chance. Hugs from Scotland. Rita xxx

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  2. Gorgeous canvas. Love the stenciling and the great shimmer you got both on the background and the shells. Thanks for joining us at Frilly and Funkie.
    Hugs!
    Cec

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  3. Hi Maryanne,
    I love the Seaside canvas! You are such a talented person, whether you are working with paper, beads, or metal.
    Therese

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  4. I love it! And I'm glad you got to play with some of what we learned in Finn's classes. The gilder's paste and Silks dry brushing really unify everything and make it blend together.

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  5. Wow Maryanne, what a fabulous canvas ! I love the textured background and the arrangement of the shells is gorgeous ! I too am attending a Finnabair workshop later this year and I can't wait ! Thanks for joining us at Frilly and Funkie. Sue C x

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  6. Maryanne, I know this shop in Savage! I stopped in a few years ago and thought it looked like so much fun. I could have spend some serious time there but had the whole family in tow. Your seaside canvas is beautiful and right up my alley! Love finding things to do with shells. We have buckets here at the beach - one of my favorite things to do is looking for shells. Sad to hear you are packing up your summer things and moving on to Fall, but I guess its that time for those who plan ahead. :-) I'll be in my summer frame of mind as long as possible. I can't believe how fast this summer has been flying by. :-(

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  7. YOU are amazingly talented!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this piece!! Inspiring, beautiful and more!

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  8. This turned out beautifully. I am so glad that you enjoyed Finnabair's class. I like the fact that you chose very neutral color tones for the background because the stencil and napkin textures show up well in it. I am thrilled to look at all of the shells, beads, and goodies that you grouped in the center. Nice work!

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  9. What a great make, it may be Finnabair style but you really have made it your own! Love what you did with the shells and the textures look fantastic!

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  10. I used to have BOXES of sea shells that I collected from the beaches of Sanibel Island, Florida...and I mean BOXES! I put them on frames, mirrors, anything they would stick to! This is so beautiful and would look perfect in my dream-home-in-my-imagination sunroom, complete with white wicker furniture! Fabulous job!

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  11. Gosh Maryanne! I've just been reviewing the entries for the seaside challenge and saw your gorgeous creation. This couldn't go passed my eyes without me telling you how superb it is. You really learned so much at your classes with Finnabair by the look of this cracking creation and should rightly be proud of it. Can't wait to see even more. Thank you so much for entering the challenge at Frilly and Funkie. Hugs, Jenny x

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  12. Hi Maryanne........this is amazing. Love the background and the cluster of shells is wonderful.

    Poor Finn had to cancel the workshop I was attending but has rescheduled for October......so looking forward to it.

    Best wishes in the challenge

    Annie x

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  13. Hi Maryanne! Your piece is breathtaking. I have longed to get down to that stamp shop and take a class with Finnabair! Congratulations on your win at Frilly and Funkie. Well deserved! My husband recently retired and we are finally able to use our beach condo for more than weekends. The thought of putting away my beach related products is difficult to accept at the moment, but fall and holidays are calling to me. Hugs, Yvonne

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  14. Love the beach - you did a great job capturing it on this canvas! The background paper looks like it is from Splash of Color, right? Love that you chose to let it show through.

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  15. WOW Maryanne! Your canvas is absolutely beautiful and so full of amazing details! I love the beach, too, and I really love how you captured it's essence here on your canvas! Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us! (and I am so envious that you got to take a class by Finnabair! Her work is amazing!)

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