Vénus de souche and Vinus by Francine Noël. Click for more details.

Canadian painter and sculptor Francine Noël [website] creates art from collections of natural materials and recuperated objects. In her own words:

These materials lend themselves to new forms without completely losing their own initial selves. Their origins are maintained in the details, but when multiplied, they speak of us, of our tendency to freely discard.

In this quick dump world of ours, my work aims to resist disuse, offering us to linger on the wonderfulness of things by giving them a second breath of meaning, revamping them into a lasting beauty…

Shown above are two of her creations, inspired by William Bouguereau’s 1879 work Naissance de Venus (Birth of Venus). The one on the left is a bas-relief called Vénus de souche, made from bark and a slice of tree. On the right is Vinus, created from corks, bottle lead and mushroom.

Below is the original Bouguereau painting. Click to visit the gallery where you will find dozens more contemporary versions of the same artwork.