Inspiration is all around us, and if you’re trying to think of a new costume or other creative project, I recommend heading to your local thrift store. Browse the aisles with an open mind. You might find the perfect pieces of clothing for cosplay, the ideal bowl or frame for a craft project, or a painting to modify. Shauna O’Reilly, owner of the Etsy shop Nerdscapes, does the latter and improves paintings she finds by adding characters and vehicles from geeky franchises. Sometimes the changes are subtle, and sometimes they’re Madame de Ackbar:
It’s not a trap, it’s a work of art! O’Reilly found the original piece at a thrift store and gave it a new and better life by incorporating Star Wars. She uses a mixture of paints and collage to achieve the results. The original is 16 x 20 inches in the frame, but if you don’t have space for it on your walls, you can buy prints in five different sizes.
O’Reilly doesn’t stick to the galaxy far, far away with her embellishments. She’s also added familiar faces from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Doctor Who, Super Friends, Firefly, and Star Trek. I find her creations to be a fine blend of pop culture and fine art.
Some more examples of O’Reilly’s work:
Prints start at $9, and originals are priced anywhere from $125 – $200.
Which modified painting is your favorite? Browse the gallery and Etsy store and then head to the comments and let me know.
HT: The Mary Sue
and also by Dave Pollot Art who was featured at an art gallery in the Gaslamp during SD Comic-Con 2014
Too bad the idea was copied by a guy in Toronto who was doing the same thing first.
There’s a local artist in here in SLC that has been doing this for the past 4-5 years. She sells at the farmer’s market, Salt Lake Comic Con, and her work is absolutely amazing. You can find her works at https://www.etsy.com/shop/katmartinartist or http://www.artistkat.com