Canadian Artist Adds Pop to Thrift Store Paintings, Ups Value

— -- An artist outside Toronto, Canada, is adding popular characters and touches to thrift store finds and turning a tidy profit.

David Irvine, of Brampton, calls the work "Re-directed Art," which includes the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in a classic scene or Star Wars characters in a serene landscape painting.

Irvine, 46, said they can sell for $300 to $800. Some of his work is on exhibit at The Flying Pony Gallery in Toronto, and he also sells work via Etsy.

Of his re-directed art, he told ABC News that over 90 percent are prints on board and the rest are originals.

"They are usually old and in bad shape so I touch up marks and scratches, etc., to bring it back to its original form then I add in my own elements. My only rule is that I never paint over the original signature," Irvine said. "Generally most are bought at thrift shops, yard sales and even salvaged from the curb. I hate seeing waste and when I see a painting collecting dust on a shelf, I see potential, not garbage."

Irvine has been creating and selling art for over 25 years. His website is called GnarledBranch.com, the idea of which came in 2004 when he noticed a wooden table that was discarded in the trash.

"He repaired it, refinished it and it became a beautiful painted piece of functional art," his website states. He also hand-paints ornaments on burnt-out light bulbs, paints furniture and creates pop art on discarded or damaged vinyl records.

He also accepts global commissions, if you have an idea of something you want to add to a thrift store painting.