Meet Kelly & Olya

Dear Friends -

After the announcement of my new 2017/18 Creative Team I have a huge pleasure to introduce its new talented members - last week you met Tanyalee, Bipasha & Juliya and today you have another great chance to get to know two more Teamies!

I'm already rubbing my hands in excitement! :)

I'm so very pleased to introduce:

Kelly Mumford

1. Where are you from?

I am from the Bay Area California. I was born here (east bay) and still live here today. I love being so close to the many amazing cities here.  San Francisco is of course my favorite.  The Legion of Honor is there, my favorite fine art museum.  I also adore the town of Half Moon Bay.

A great day for me is my husband and I packing a picnic, my travel art supplies, and the bulldogs for a relaxing and restoring day at the beach. The beach is my happy place!

2. What is always there on your table?

A LOT of stuff! Essential oil diffuser with tons of essential oils, a cup of tea , tubes of acrylic paint, spray bottle with water, ink, glitter, paintbrushes, palette, scissors, papers, gel medium, & the list goes on and on! :)

3. What is your favorite color palette?

Usually all the bright, vibrant colors.  I love blues and greens. I have a paintbrush & palette tattoo on my wrist. The blobs of paint on it are the shades of the darkest cobalt blue to sea foam green. Colors of the sea!

4. What are your favorite creations?

I am most comfortable in front of a blank canvas and easel. I love to gaze at a white canvas and see what appears to me. I love to paint intuitively. I am always dreaming of what to paint next.

5. What are you inspired by?

I am inspired by many things. Color is always a main source of inspiration. My goal is have the viewer of my art experience feelings of joy and happiness. Color is so powerful!

I am also inspired by other artists, great ones of the past and current artists of today. The beauty of the world inspires me, nature and textures.  Inspiration is everywhere you look, from the puffy clouds in a blue sky to the colors and sights of big city streets!

6. When you see a blank canvas...

I am filled with excitement from the endless possibilities. It’s a fresh start to try something new!!! No fear! Be brave and create!

7. Cats or dogs?

Dogs! (Sorry cats) I have two English bulldogs, Daisy and Pearl. You can find them in my art studio, snoring on the couch while I paint. ❤️

8. Tea or coffee?
Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon!:)

9. Simple or messy?

MESSY! Embrace the wonderful creative mess! I love to have paint all over my hands and use the back of my hand as a palette sometimes!

10. What are you dreaming about?

I am always dreaming of painting and living with my husband and the bulldog babes on the island of Maui. I have a deep, heart & soul connection to Hawaii, and we hope to one day live there. Painting in paradise is MY dream! Aloha!

Connect with Kelly here:

instagram

facebook

pinterest

Olya Kravets

1. Where are you from?

I'm from Ukraine, but now we live in Moscow with my family.

2. What is always there on your work table?

Different mediums and gesso, paints, brushes, sprays and my baby girl when I create. :)

3. What is your favorite color palette?

A combination of blue, violet and gold.

4. What are your favorite creations?

I really like all kinds of different creations, but most of all I'm into creating canvases and altered art.

5. What are you inspired by?

I'm inspired by everything around me - nature, movies, books, feelings, emotions and new materials to create.

6. When you see a blank page/canvas...

It feels like a great challenge. I can try out different possibilities, play with colors and test new ideas.

7. Cats or dogs?

Cats

8. Tea or coffee?

Definitely coffee.

9. Simple or messy?

Messy! My fingers are always covered in paint. :)

10. What are you dreaming about?

I'm dreaming about always being myself, inspiring other people, creating and being better at it every day.

Connect with Olya:

blog

instagram

you tube

pinterest

facebook

Please, help me say hi to the whole beautiful Team and let's make them all feel welcome to our friendly community!

I just can't wait to get this new term going!
xx

Ambassadors' Comfort Zones

Hi dear Friends!

My talented Brand Ambassadors are back with fresh inspirations, stunning art and some interesting stories to tell - as always! :)

This month I asked them to share what are the recurring themes in their art world - their favorite techniques, objects, colors, symbols etc.

Because who said that a comfort zone is such a bad place after all? ;)

I know you'll love this post!

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Riikka

We all have our favorite colors, techniques and go to supplies. But I bet that we also have a re-occurring theme in our crafts, something we try to capture and create over and over again. I actually have several.

Naturally in my scrapbook layouts my two girls are a constant theme, but I also have a theme in my mixed media work. In large it's music. In more specific, it's my favorite band Turisas. 

I do make crafts about other music as well, for example about Finnish national anthem "Finlandia" or of Astor Piazzola's "Libertango", but the band that keeps surfing in my projects is Turisas. I think the first project was a heart canvas that I also turned into a workshop.

But this project is actually a part of a series I'm doing for the band members. I'm not sure if they are thrilled or not, but as I started with two band members, I think it's only fair that they all have a gift. This particular piece is done for their drummer, that's why the cymbal and the drumstick. 

The project doesn't follow my usual go to color scheme of blue, green and turquoise but it inspired by a poster of their latest album and the red and black face paint they use.

The golden disk has one of my all time favorite Finnabair embellishment - the Mechanicals Bottle Cap. They are so handy and go with every project!

The little Stars are also really versatile and go both with sweet, romantic crafts and more masculine and grungier things.

For more of Riikka's amazing art and info about her workshops go to her blog! 

Linda

I always reach for certain products to create my projects. It seems that bright and metallic are my color choices lately. 

You can use several products to work with, but here I used the Metallique Paints to add color and shine.

I had a plain wooden box that I base-coated with a wonderful sage colored paint.

Using the Iron Orchid Design Mould and paper clay, I added several pieces to the box. Then I added a watered-down glaze I made with Pitch Black Impasto Paint.

The final step is the light layers of Metallique paints applied in a dry-brush method.

The cracks in the paper clay and the rough box make for some delightful contrasting elements to this piece.

I originally bought this box to hold some of my ink pads. They did fit perfectly into the opening and take up little room on my desk. Space is at a premium on the work area right now it seems. 

I must admit I've always loved Linda's blog name. :)

Don't forget to follow it and check out this post in which Linda explains in detail

how she created this stunning box.

Monika

I actually have a whole list of different elements and products I most often use in my artworks:

layered pages from vintage books, old photos (both authentic ones and images from Ephemera sets), stamps, Gesso and metal embellishments.

All of these things constantly inspire me with their textures, shapes, scents and stories they tell.

This art journal cover is a perfect example of an artwork that is so very 'me'. :) I used all of my beloved elements and had a blast putting them together into one unique whole. You can see my creative process in this video.

I like to surround myself with objects that have their own history and soul, a little bit dusty, stained and maybe a little bit forgotten. I just love giving them a brand new life and save them from oblivion while telling stories of my own.

Make sure you go for more beautiful art by Monika to her blog!

Louise

For many years Louise's art journaling favourites included: a monochromatic colour scheme, mono-printing and stamp carving for techniques, and cute or slightly weird looking peeps.

However a few months ago she was starting to be bored by her own creativity so she decided it was time to change it up! Develop some new 'got to' techniques and themes!

So Louise joined in with an online Instagram challenge #the100daychallenge to focus on broadening her creative range by using more colour and starting to hand draw people and faces, instead of using a hand carved stamp of her own design.

Paint just casually slapped onto a white background without thinking too much about it to create a background for the drawings. No overthinking or getting caught up on ensuring that colours and shading/tones were correct.

Then using a black gel pen Louise just stated to draw her faces letting the paint shapes guide her! She let the painted backgrounds 'speak to her' and guide her on how to draw her faces.

As you can see they aren't realistic, they are abstract and just a little weird; so totally Louise style. Louise enjoyed this challenge so much that she now is more confident in using colour and just letting go and drawing her faces and people instinctively! This creative approach is now her new favourite! 

It went without saying that Louise would reach for her favourite water based paints: Finnabair Art Alchemy Impasto Paints! These paints are absolutely lush and the pigment depth is to 'die for'!

The best way to follow Louise's talent and creative adventures

is to keep an eye on her Instagram and blog!

Elena

My comfort zone is a multi-layered one. :)

I always reach for dozens of pieces of paper, die cuts, stencils and lately for circles. I really love circles.

This mini album cover is a perfect example of the things I love. Some of the layers are covered with Vintage Gold Metallique Wax and it gives an interesting metal look to the project.

I also always make sure to add small decorative accents before finishing the work: crystals and delicate paint splatters in this case.

Keep an eye on Elena's Instagram to be up to date with her classes all the gorgeous art!

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Aren't these Ladies crazy talented?!
We're very curious what your comfort zones consist of? Maybe you will find new favorite ideas after today's post? :)

psst psst... Keep an eye on the blog, there is more news coming your way. :) This very special group of my Brand Ambassadors is about to grow and I can't wait to introduce its new members!

Have a great creative weekend!
Finn & The Team

Meet Tanyalee, Bipasha & Juliya

Hello Friends!

First of all, thank you so much for such a super friendly welcome of my new Creative Team and all the gratitude towards the Members leaving the Team! Your comments really mean the world to us!

As you perhaps know, every time I introduce new Creative Members I like to ask them some questions in a short & sweet interview. Today we'll get to know Tanyalee, Bipasha & Juliya and Monday we'll be the day for Kelly & Olya.

Help me make them feel welcome! :)

Tanyalee Kahler

1. Where are you from?

I'm from Hobart, Tasmania right at the very bottom of Australia. I wasn't born here, but have lived here for the past 7 years and it is the most beautiful place in my eyes.

I live in the country about 500m from a beach and it is my idea of heaven. There are so many beautiful places to visit in Tasmania, but one of my favourites is the Huon Valley for it's rolling hills, green pastures, amazing food and produce and its country vibe.

2. What is always there on your work table?

My work table is a bit of a disgrace, always covered in paper, journals and other supplies. But the supplies that are never put away in their rightful home are my white gesso and acrylic inks. They are my go-to's for almost every project I work on.

3. What's your favorite color palette?

Oh that is super easy, my favourite colour of all time is pink. And I will always mix it with gold and Payne's Grey. Many many of my spreads and projects will feature this colour combination.

4. What are your favorite creations?

I am happiest working in my art journal. I use it as a place to experiment with materials, to explore thoughts and feelings and to create full blown artworks.

I do dabble in canvas pieces as well but this is a new exploration for me, one that I intend to do more of in my time on the Finnabair Creative Team.

5. What are you inspired by?

I am inspired by so many things it is really hard to narrow this down. I love looking at other artists works and trying to work out how they have made things. I am inspired by personalities and friends that I have met in my online art communities. But most of all I am inspired by the world around me and my family.

6. When you see a blank page/canvas...

When I see a blank canvas I throw down some gesso, immediately followed by either some paint or collage elements and then let my imagination take over. I work fairly intuitively so try not to let the blank page/canvas hold me back.

7. Cats or dogs?

Cats!!! Do you want to see photos of my three fur babies? My husband and kids call me the crazy cat lady :)

8. Tea or coffee?

Tea first thing in the morning (I actually can't start the day without it), and coffee occasionally for morning tea.

9. Simple or messy?

Oh how do you decide between these two? I am just simply messy! My artworks go between minimalist simple pages, to full on collaged, layered pieces. And I love to mix paints with my hands so I am definitely messy!

10. What are you dreaming about?

I am always dreaming about my next project, and how I can make a career out of art. It is my lifelong goal and I am getting closer every year. But for now I dream of finding more time in my day to push paint around in my art journals.

You can connect with Tanyalee here:

blog

instagram

facebook

you tube 

pinterest

Bipasha K

1. Where are you from?

I'm from Assam, India but have been studying and working in Melbourne, Australia since the last 4 years. My favourite city in this country would be definitely Melbourne. It makes me feel energized, fulfilled, tickled pink and most importantly - it brings out the best in me, makes me want to be a better person and enables me to do all that I have ever dreamt of!

2. What is always there on your work table?

Rust pastes, black thread and paint mediums.

3. What is your favorite color palette?

Teals, rusts and browns.

4. What are your favorite creations?

Art journals, dimensional canvases and altered art.

5. What are you inspired by?

Everything Finnabair! Also by vintage elements in antique warehouses and rustic places.

6. When you see a blank page/canvas...

I approach the blank canvas in a unconscious free flowing way and have nothing specific pre-planned. I just flow with whatever medium I decided to place on the canvas and in the end, the audience is in charge of interpreting what they see or feel towards the art.

7. Cats or dogs?

Big furry dogs

8. Tea or coffee?

Coffee

9. Simple or messy?

Messy.

10. What are you dreaming about?

Hush hush! My dreams are quite secret hahaha... but I guess I can share one - to have an imperfectly perfect art studio of my own.

What is your artist's statement?
When it comes to art, it's IMPORTANT not to hide the MADNESS! :)

Connect with Bipasha here:

blog

facebook

instagram

pinterest

you tube  

Juliya Tirskaya 

1. Where are you from?

I'm from Russia. I live in the north in the Republic of Sakha. I love our snowy town Yakutsk and friendly and kind people who live here. In Yakutia there is really beautiful nature: the Lena Pillars, the Bulus, the Lena River and I really love all these places and as often as possible I leave the city for our summer home.

2. What is always there on your work table?

On the table I always have brushes and tools, a box with my favorite stamps and boxes with paints and pastes. And when I'm not creating, then there is always a cat also lying on my table. :)

3. What is your favorite color palette?

I really like different shades of blue, purple and brown with green.

4. What are your favorite creations?

I feel the most comfortable with layouts and canvases. But I like to leave this comfort zone and often try out new things for myself.

5. What are you inspired by?

Music, books, beautiful images in the movies or in photographs. Nature and people.

6. When I see a blank page/canvas...

This is my favorite moment! When you look at beautiful paper or the texture of the canvas I like to think how to convey the mood, which method I can use and what kind of new material to try.

7. Cats or dogs?

Cats! I have two. :)

8. Tea or coffee?

Tea.

9. Simple or messy?

Messy.

10. What are you dreaming about?

I dream about my own studio and having more space for my art and I believe that in time I will come true.

Connect with Juliya:

blog

instagram

facebook

pinterest

Here they are - let's all say hi and welcome!

I feel - I know! - there are a lot of inspirations and breathtaking Art coming our way soon...

xx

Creative Team 2017/18 - Time For Reveal!

My Friends...

The big day is here! :)

I know you've been waiting impatiently to hear who will be inspiring you here this term. But before we drop any names, let's leave a huge round of applause to these wonderful 4 artists who are leaving the Team.

This time for me is of course very exciting but it's also a hard time of goodbyes.
I can’t express how deeply grateful I am to these amazing artists for sharing their talent, time, inspirations and love for mixed-media with me and all of the readers of this blog.

I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people and I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing without their hard work, help, encouragement and support.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that...

And now the moment everybody was waiting from... :) Let's see the new Finnabair Creative Team!

Here they are:

the new Teamies!

Tanyalee Kahler

Instagram

Facebook

Pinterest

Blog

YouTube

Juliya Tirskaya

Facebook
Blog
Pinterest
Instagram

Olya Kravets

Blog
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
You Tube

Bipasha K

Blog
Facebook
Instagram

Kelly Mumford

Facebook
Instagram








And here are the well-known and well-loved faces of the Teamies staying with us this term:

Karolina Bukowska

Kasia Bogatko

Marta Turska-Grochocka

Sanda Reynolds

I'm sure you know many of these wonderful people but if you don't, keep an eye on the blog - in the following days we'll be introducing our new Teamies closer, have a chat, admire their art and get to know each other better.

And for now - leave some love to all the Artists and let's celebrate the beginning of a new art chapter!

xx

My Nostalgic Canvas

Hi there Friends!

Ever since my very first Creative Team I've been blessed to be surrounded by amazing people with huge hearts and talents. Today I'd like to say thank you to another one of them.

John is here today with his last crowd stopping project created especially for the Team.

Don't forget to re-visit all of John's fabulous projects - each of them is a real art treat and a beautiful inspiration! Make sure you leave John some love in the comments and bookmark all the links to his social media!

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Hello Finnabair Fans!

Next week Anna will be announcing the new Creative Team for 2018, and I can’t wait like the rest of you to find out WHO will be on next years team. =)

I can remember this time last year, the anxious waiting of knowing whether my art work was good enough to make the cut to be part of this group of amazing artists who have inspired me and my own artwork.

This made me a little nostalgic about my Finnabair journey so I started going through my past projects and realized that I’d never shared with all of you one of my favorite projects - my Art Ingredients loaded canvases!

I always have so much fun creating one of my smaller sized canvases, and for that reason I wanted to share with you my latest creation, My Nostalgic Canvas…

I like to use 8" x 10" canvases for these types of projects, simply because of the size and that you can usually purchase this size of canvas in value packs at most art stores inexpensively.

To add more dimension to my canvases, I like to add "windows" onto the canvas and for this project I added a basic wood frame.

For more texture, I used muslin fabric with Clear Sculpture Medium and heat set with a heat tool. Although most of the time I like to "eyeball" the placement of my elements on my projects, you’ll notice that I drew lines on the canvas to center the wood frame onto the canvas.

For the base layer of the canvas, I stipple brushed Brown Rust Paste onto the canvas and sides of the wood frame, and then brushed the paste onto the fabric.

With a palette knife, I then added the paste around the frame and sprinkled Mega Art Stones around the frame followed with the small (regular sized) Art Stones to fill in the gaps.

 

While the Brown Rust Paste was still wet, I began to stipple brush Blue Patina Effects Paste onto the canvas, stones and edge of the frame to create a moss color and then heat set.

Once the background was dry, I stippled another layer of Blue Patina Effects Paste to add the blue color onto the background and then heat set this layer.

 

For more added color, I used my finger tip to highlight the background with Red Rust Effects Paste and heat set to avoid blending colors. Next I highlighted with Yellow Rust Effects Paste, again just using my finger tip for a light touch.

Once dried, I finished the background with a touch of Brass Patina Effects Paste.

With the background complete, it was now time to start working on coloring the embellishments.

I used a base coat of Heavy Black Gesso for all of the embellishments because I love how it makes the Metallique paint colors more dramatic!

I then highlighted the embellishments with the following Metallique paints (in order): Blackberry, Steampunk Copper, Midnight Blue, Deep Waters (you'll find all the links below).

For a true metallic highlight I then dry brushed Brass Patina Effects Paste onto the embellishments.

 

I often tell people that creating beautiful layers of metallic color that it’s like making spaghetti sauce from scratch – it takes time and patience, but the results are absolutely stunning and create subtle layers of color that can’t be created any other way.

I wanted to share with you some of the techniques I use for creating my embellishments, many of which you can incorporate into making jewelry also!

 

For the pocket watch, I first placed down the Vintage Watch Face onto the frame.

Fill the bottom of the Pocket Watch with Brown Rust Effects Paste, then generously sprinkle with Copper Micro Beads to create the background of the watch.

 

With clear glue, I layered a Mechanical Flower with a fleur de lys and allowed to set while working on placing the other embellishments.

You can use this same process for creating other layers of Mechanicals embellishments.

For example, along the top of the wooden frame I used a large Mechanicals Wing as the base and then adhered a small Heart Locket onto the wing.

Using the same technique as with the pocket watch, I filled the background with Copper Micro Beads and then placed a Lotus Flower with a Mechanicals Bolt Top inside.

Sometimes the best part of working on a mixed media canvas is layering and adding all of the embellishments into place.

I like to add my embellishments to my projects last because I enjoy having the freedom to move embellishments as I work.

Using Brown Rust Paste as my adhesive for holding down all of my embellishments, I placed them in sections so that while the paste was still wet I could add my inclusions.

When adding my inclusions, I typically start with the "chunkier" inclusions and use the smaller ones to fill in the gaps.

After placing the embellishments, I sprinkled Gold Leaf Mica Flakes into the wet paste and then added Pitch Black and Copper Glass Glitter, followed with a variety of Micro Beads for color: Pitch Black, Copper and Splash.

 

 

 

 

I hope that this project has inspired you to look at working on your own Nostalgic Canvas!

 

To see more of the projects that I’m currently working on be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook or on my Blog.

xx

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Products used: