“Matata” is one of my mixed media pieces- It’s a combination of watercolours and archival ink. I’ve said it before- This process will sort of ruin a micron pen and it’s felt tip- But I love the outcome so much that I generally forfeit a pen to complete a piece.
This is one of those pieces that is a little bit of an ode to my hometown and it’s culture- The tuna industry is a large part of the community and a major income for many families. It’s a big deal when one is landed, and there’s a commotion at the wharf it gets towed to just about every time. I worked at the Pharmasave in Souris as a teenager and it seemed like we were always a big part of spreading the news. Someone would come in and tell us, and we would tell every person who came in following that.
Anyhow- Back to artwork. This piece started out as a pencil sketch, very simple in design- The tuna isn’t turning or twisting, just sort of laid out.
I began choosing colours and mixing paints- Trying to get that iridescent type of look from solid colours. It came from a mix of yellows and blues.
I used a coppery sand colour for the fins and small accents, small layers of yellow to give more of the iridescent look.
You may be able to tell that I used my finger for some of the pattern on his upper body- Certainly on the larger prints of this piece it’s visible and you could likely pull my prints from it!
With the paint dried, I was ready to add in some inky details. I used Sakura Microns on this piece, the 005 and the 01. They’re my two go-to’s and what I use most often. The tip of a 005 micron is super fine, 0.2mm, and so this is the one that gets roughed up by the paint. You can see the small delicate lines that can be created with it below- Please excuse the shaky camera- Filming has never been my strong suit!
The final piece was 11” x 14”, and finished in March of 2019. It sold quite quickly at Artisans On Main in Souris that Spring. It’s one of those ones that I often wonder who purchased it and where it is! I’m curious if it was a local or perhaps someone in town to do some sport fishing- Who knows! If you’re the owner and reading this, email me and let me know!
People often ask about the title and if there is some deep meaning behind the word “matata”- But alas, it’s just my inner jokester thinking puns are hilarious. A Tuna, Matata… like Hakuna Matata. I’ve had great pleasure in explaining this to children. Perhaps titling art should be more serious business, but if you know me at all- I cannot resist a good joke.
Although the original is gone, I do still offer prints of this piece. On my Etsy page, you can find the 5” x 7” card and the 8” x 10” print. There are 11” x 14” prints available as well.
You can find this piece and many more just here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindseyrosspei/
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the process behind this piece.