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InspirationIllustration

Intriguing collages that bring together discovered finds with a charm of yesteryear

Madrid-based illustrator and artist Marianna Gefen creates beautiful collages using different textures, layers, watercolours, ink and 'found' paper – inspired by vintage themes and retro designs, often with a slight political leaning.

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Vintage-style collage showing silhouettes of small figures in various poses against a large green face profile, with layered coloured paper and watercolour textures in green, pink and ochre tones

She explains: "I love to use watercolour with ink on old yellowing paper which I pick up from flea markets and back-alleys around the world before combining all the elements into colourful collages with various textures and layers. The imagery that characterises my work plays on traces of ageing, transience and a charm of yesterday."

To view more of her work, visit her online portfolio at www.mariannagefen.com.

Via Creative Boom submission | All images courtesy of Marianna Gefen

Stylised figure with geometric features in brown and yellow clothing alongside a yellow toy car and dark animal silhouette against a textured, multicoloured background
Collage artwork featuring a figure in white clothing leaping above a vibrant red background with silhouettes of animals and two children in school uniforms, layered with watercolour and found paper elements
Three silhouetted figures aiming rifles upwards, with a red patterned paper collage element forming a noose above them
Marianna Gefen collage featuring repeated silhouettes of acrobats in yellowing and rust tones with geometric red line patterns and aged paper textures
Figure in lavender leaning against geometric doorway with red wall and line, textured collage by Marianna Gefen
Silhouetted figures in business attire positioned on diagonal lines against a textured blue background in a collage by Marianna Gefen
Vintage-style collage with silhouetted figures assembling red geometric shapes on a yellowed gridded background, with text reading "NEED MACHINE
Stylised portrait with olive-green skin, blue teardrop earring, red accents and fragmented geometric patterns, layered with blue water droplets and green curved shapes
Collage featuring a stylised portrait with geometric shapes, vintage paper textures, bold red brushstrokes and a small figure in the lower right, layered against a green and blue background
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