I sketched Monkey Magic at the beginning of January for the first lesson of Life Book 2014 but I am only getting around to painting it now. It was a meditation lesson to meet our inner artist guardian as part of Tamara Laporte's week 1 Life Book 2014 lesson.
There might be a couple of raised eyebrows as I introduce my inner artist guardian. While in a state of blissful meditation, I fully expected to see an ethereal being, maybe a beautiful angel with wings, like the one that Tam created. Instead, a monkey appeared on a flying carpet, surrounded by a glow of magenta and indigo. I assure you no alcohol or mind altering substances were taken before or during this process!
Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the monkey meaning and symbolism. The article made for some very interesting reading. I could relate to many of the qualities and meanings of the monkey, who knew?! Focus is definitely my word; I needed it to keep an eye on this high spirited guardian and as if by magic the monkey on the flying carpet disappeared but not without me getting this little sketch out first.
In this particular instance, I used a spray fixative on the finished background, as I didn't want the spray inks bleeding through the paint.
Since the patterned fibre paper was very thin, I thought the best course of action in not getting dark glue spots was to use a spray adhesive to adhere it to the flying carpet.
Dlyusions inks, glimmer mists, acrylic paint, caran d'ache watersoluble crayons, soft pastels, patterned fibre paper and a white paint sharpie were used on this piece.
I had a blast working on this playful character. It brought to light many things I need to look at in my life. I guess that's why they are called inner guardians.
Who remembers the TV show Monkey Magic? I think that is why this name popped into my head. The monkey character in the TV show rides a magic cloud. It was slightly off beat but I really enjoyed it.
Until next time, Happy Creating!
Your inner artist guardian looks so fun! I fully expected an angel as well when I did that meditation for Life Book, but I got a fanged faery with attitude instead. Your painting is beautiful! Wendy
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy, yes the artist guardian was a big surprise and a lot of fun to work on. I remember seeing your fanged faery, she looked like she meant business haha! I have really enjoyed seeing all the variations on Life Book.
DeleteThanks for stopping by Wendy, enjoy the rest of your week. x
I only now realized that you're on the Central Coast, Serena!
ReplyDeleteI grew up near The Entrance, at Bateau Bay :)
And I wanted to say again how much I love this gorgeous monkey of yours xxx
Thanks so much Jane, glad you like him. I know The Entrance really well, needless to say one of my favourite shops is the Lolly Barn haha! The feeding of the pelicans is always a great attraction too.
DeleteLovely of you to stop by x
Really like the background. What type of fixative did you use? How many coats do you need to fix the Dylusions sprays? I love the vibrancy of the colors and how they blend for cool backgrounds but have trouble putting things on top as they continue to react to moisture and bleed through to each layer. The monkey is adorable!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely comments Cynthia. I used SpectraFix, I read a bit about it online and liked the fact that it is odour free, non-toxic, workable and fully archival. I put on at least three coats on this piece. I did not have any bleed through and there was no visible colour shift, which I was very happy about.
DeleteHope this helps you in your creative journey x