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InspirationArt & Culture

Artist salvages discarded paintings by adding his own amusing, modern touches

Artist David Irvine brings new meaning to 'up-cycling' by taking unwanted paintings from charity shops, markets or even bins to give them a new lease of life with his fun and creative additions.

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Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist

Part of an ongoing series entitled Re-Directed Art, Irvine likes to shake things up by painting cultural icons like Darth Vader, Doctor Who and Batman onto the original painted scenes, transforming the original narrative into something a little more lighthearted and funny.

But it's not just a case of whacking anything into each piece. Irvine will often carefully mimic the style, lighting, brushstrokes and colour of the original painting, to ensure his humorous additions look as though they were meant to be there in the first place.

Whichever style he uses, these unloved and neglected paintings are given a second chance and are being enjoyed by collectors worldwide. You can purchase your own masterpiece via Irvine's Etsy shop.

Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper fish by a red cottage as a Death Star appears in the sky above a pastoral landscape
A blue alien character painted onto a vintage rural landscape showing a red barn, autumn trees and figures by a white fence gate
David Irvine's upcycled painting shows the TARDIS and a figure in a yellow coat standing before a thatched cottage surrounded by flowering plants and trees
Two giant yellow rubber ducks float alongside tall ships in stormy seas, painted over an original maritime artwork in David Irvine's Re-Directed Art series
An orange General Lee car painted into a woodland lakeside landscape among birch trees, with another vehicle visible in the distance.
An orange tabby cat's head emerges through a tear in a misty rural landscape painting featuring old farm buildings and frost-covered trees, part of David Irvine's Re-Directed Art series
Slimer from Ghostbusters materialises in front of a white house as the Ecto-1 car pulls up the driveway in David Irvine's reworked vintage painting
David Irvine's re-directed artwork shows a rotund cat figure in classical robes reclining in an ornate pavilion while an artist paints a landscape scene nearby
A cartoon character in a yellow suit and green hat drives a red hot rod car through a quaint village street, painted onto a vintage landscape scene by artist David Irvine
Batman holding a sphere above a barrel in a harbour scene with sailing boats and period buildings, painted onto a salvaged artwork
Two witches playing cards at a table in a flower-filled garden, painted by David Irvine as part of his Re-Directed Art series
An animated character in a blue top hat operates a yellow steamroller in an idyllic countryside landscape with a stone cottage, willow tree and river beyond
Child in yellow raincoat pointing at two ducks in flight over reeds, altered vintage painting by David Irvine
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