Magnificence Magnified

Multi Media Art

Here is an example of how to make something very unique out of found items, embellished with a few (or a lot) of small eclectic pieces.

With all the frames that I've collected, it's time to put them to use. Several of them had no glass, so after a lot of thought, I decided to utilize that factor and make it work in my favor.

I love steam punk, and this reminds me a bit of it. It resembles the fantastical pieces built to resemble factory machines or industrial engines, but it has the feathers and wings of my favorite theme, birds.

The center of the sunflower is the piece of an old hanging lamp that covers the electrical conduit in the ceiling.  Then the center hole of that is hidden with several of the small filigree pieces I bought en masse.

Mike cut the board to fit the frame, and I was off to the races.  Painting the scene took several iterations.  Before I started I imagined a distant mountain range, with forests gradually coming into view, then a field of wildflowers, with one distinctive flower with a bee visiting.

Then the inspiration hit. This is the result of that creative surge. I call it Magnificence Magnified.

Glue used is E6000.  They warn you on the label that you shouldn't breathe the fumes. They are right.  Use ventilation, or a fan if you can't open a window. Work fast to get it all in place quick so you can leave the room while it dries.

The background took a while to complete, due to having to leave each layer to dry before doing the next one. The correct tools are important too, especially brushes for paints.

The right ones are now on order.

Then the fun begins. 

After tracing around the circle then the final layer of paint is added for the outer circle of petals. Then the many feathers and wings were added, using the E6000 glue.

They needed a bit of trimming, as each of them had a round hook where they could be added to jewelry findings.  For this project, those weren't needed.  A pair of cross cut pliers were the tool for that.

The stem (a short length of copper wire) and the two leaves were next. Before the picture was installed, a bit of minor bashing to distress the frame was done, to match up the one damaged part.

Then the picture was installed using the tiny nails that originally held glass and a picture in the frame.

Edit; due to the fact that the painting is done on a wooden plywood panel, it was thicker than normal, so slightly larger nails hold it in place.

And done! What do you think of this piece? Mixed or multi media art is a great way to think outside the box.