A Story of an Art Piece
Updated: Jan 13, 2022
Lost by Stacie Monday is a painting that I love, and am going to share what I have created off of this.
For this project, I wanted to create a story based on a piece of artwork. To start I had to research how to analyze art because I was trying to challenge myself by choosing something I knew little about. After that, I found the piece and started writing. My goal was to create a story that would reach my target audience with was younger kids. I have a written version for kids who are able to read and an audiobook version for kids who can't. There is also a glossary at the end.
If you like this piece be sure to check out the rest of her collection!
Kate's Art Analysis
If you want to know how to analyze art Click Here
Artist: Stacie Monday Art Title: Lost Medium: Acrylic, map pieces
Lost by Stacie Monday depicts a black woman from the shoulders up with half her face fading into pieces of paper and swatches of paint. She is posed to the side with one shoulder up, it's a very feminine pose and that’s fitting as the artist likes to create art that celebrates black female beauty.
The paper has been written and it's a map that represents the missing pieces of Monday’s history
She looks like she was posed, but I think it was a moving pose
There are several abstract elements the major one is where the paint and paper are where her eyes are and the other is adding texture to the background
I think symbolism was used when her eyes were missing. I interpreted this as the feeling of being lost and not being seen
The title (lost) refers to the feeling Monday felt when she was trying to figure out her past and her life journey
It's part of a collection The Concept of Identity Where she explores her identity as well as shared identity (POC, Women) through portraits
There is an emphasis on her face fading into abstract colours and shapes
I personally looked at what's there of her face first then my eyes moved up taking in the detail
The background has a harsh line to separate colours which differentiates from the smooth curved lines of the women in the painting
It has a cohesive colour palette of more muted tones
The woman is 3D Whereas everything else is 2D and this provides contrast which I like
The light is at the top of the painting and a little towards the left
The contrast was used multiple times with the pink and blue colours, with the harsh line compared to the smooth lines of the women
It doesn’t have texture but the way it was painted gives the illusion of it
Overall I think this is meant to capture feminity and black beauty while still conveying the feeling of being lost.
Monday's Artist Statement
I am on a journey of discovering my roots. I want to know who my ancestors were and where they lived, their stories and their journeys. This artwork uses pieces of a map to demonstrate my search, and it illustrates the way we have a missing piece due to our history being erased.
The name of this piece is “Lost”. I am inspired by my travels, and the history I am taking in. I am fascinated with wondering how far my ancestors travelled, what civilizations they began or influenced. I used different elements to create this mixed media piece.
This piece is vibrant, with colours bursting in celebration of the beauty of women! We are truly magical. Perfect for any woman.
Black art canvas print highlighting the beauty of African/African-American Women. So let this colourful female portrait art canvas print be the perfect representation of you.
The Story
I wake up.
I look around.
I realize I am in for another day hung up on the gallery wall, unfinished.
These are the actions I repeat every morning. I wonder what it would be like to be the princess or knight in the paintings across the room as I run my fingers through my dark hair. Shame heats my face when I feel abstract swatches of paint instead of hair. I am stuck in my painting, confined in the frame, but I feel a bit better knowing everyone else is too. Though everyone is also stuck in their painting no one else has to suffer through being an unfinished painting in a gallery full of finished paintings. I adjust my pink hoodie and sit down on the frame.
I lean against the border of my painting and a rushing feeling fills my body like riding a roller coaster. I am falling through my painting. All I can see is black that goes on forever.
Something wet licking my arm wakes me up. When I open my eyes I see a brown furry animal jumping playfully. The dog runs off and something else catches my attention. A huge castle stood in front of me with a bright blue sky and fields of flowers in the distance. As I look around I see something that I know all too well; a frame. I notice a shiny black horse ridden by a knight is heading straight for at the same time I realize I am in another painting. I have seen it from across the gallery. It has the castle as the focal point with flowers on one side and a dark forest on the other.
My hood is up to hide the paint swatches covering my forehead. The knight gets off the horse gracefully and takes off their helmet to reveal a long blond head of hair.
“Hi, I am Jo,” she says confidently “You’re not from around here”
“ N-no, I don’t know how I got here. I-I Jade by the way.” I stutter as I take in the girl’s features. She has long platinum blond hair, green eyes the colour of leaves and a full set of silver armour.
“This happened the last time the wizard disappeared. He keeps people from falling through their paintings and ending up in different ones.” She mutters to herself.
“How do I get back then?” I ask.
Jo’s response is “We would have to find the wizard and he could send you back, but without him, there is no way for you to go home.”
Together we decide to find the wizard and we start our epic journey. Jo tells me the wizard has a tower in the woods where he goes to relax, but he has been gone longer than usual. I find myself atop a grey horse riding into the woods. The horses are carrying heavy loads with everything from food to two beautiful swords. Expertly painted trees reach into the sky, blocking off most of the light. An eerie feeling filled my body as we entered the deep woods beyond the castle. The scent of pine clouds the air and only gets stronger the deeper we go into the forest. Under us is a path of grey stone bricks. My jeans are covered in horsehair and it starts to rain.
After an hour of riding our horses in the pouring rain, we’re soaking wet, so Jo asks “Do you want to stop” and we find a rocky cave to keep warm in.
We talked about the things we like and don’t. She asks me about my life in my painting and I ask about hers. It turns out we both like to read and hate Brussel sprouts. My hood remains glued to my head while we sit and chat. We waited for the rain to pass and continued on our journey.
We ride our horses for what seems like an eternity. The sound of rushing water echoes around us. A small stream twists alongside the path. Eventually, the brick path fades to dirt and a massive hill stands in front of us. A tall tower looms at the top. It is made of large stones painted to look worn and has no way of entry that I can see. A man's face who I can only assume is the wizard’s, appears in the window. A long beard covers most of his face and a pair of glasses sits on his crooked nose. Yellow stars are all over the blue hat and robe that he is wearing. A panicked look clouds over his face. A muffled cry comes from the wizard, but I can’t tell what he said.
I look over and see shock fill Jo’s face as she stares dead ahead.
“What's wrong?” I ask at the same time and feel a blast of heat on my face.
A massive fire-breathing monster comes out of the woods. The monstrous beast has shiny scales painted so they faded from red to orange.
“Whoosh!” Massive wings are carrying the giant reptile through the air.
It was circling the tower to keep the wizard in. The creature was something I never wanted to see; a dragon.
“What do we do?” I question Jo, shock filling my face.
She grabs the two swords from the packs and hands one to me. The cold metal felt natural in my hand. It’s painted with a shimmery grey and has an ocean blue stone on the handle.
“I am going to climb the tower and you need to distract the dragon”
I can't get in another word before she runs off in the direction of the tower and the wizard. I take a deep breath and secure my hood and run towards the dragon.
“Hey over here” I yell.
The creature turns its head and lets out a roar that echoes through the air. Fire burst from its mouth scorching the ground. My heart is racing as I continue to run and taunt the Dragon. In the background, I saw Jo at the window of the tower securing a rope. I jumped back as I narrowly missed a breath of fire.
“If someone on the outside of this painting saw us we would look crazy,” I think to myself. Jo needs more time and I need a plan. The woods are a couple of meters behind me. If I can get to them and hide then when the dragon comes and comes I can jump out.
I run as the perfectly painted trees come into view. Branches are hitting me but I keep sprinting. Finally, I spot a bush that I can crouch in until the beast comes. I hold my sword ready to attack.
“Thump! Thump!” Heavy footsteps come from the clearing and a scaly foot lands beside me.
“Roar!” Fire escapes from the beast's mouth.
As I leap out of my hiding place I feel my hood snag on the branch. It rips right off leaving a pink piece of fabric stuck on the bush. I hold my sword out and stab the dragon in the belly.
Crash its body falls to the ground. I did it, I defeated the dragon. I fell to the ground as happy tears filled my eyes. A rustling noise comes from the bushes and my eyes dart to find the source. Jo and the wizard come sprinting to me and my tears of happiness quickly turned to embarrassment. A blush blooms across my face and I realize my hood is off and they can see the unfinished top of my head.
“Are you okay?” Jo asks sincerely, “Why are you crying?”
“ I am unfinished and all I want is to be normal” and gesture to my head as tears fall down my face.
“It’s not embarrassing, it makes you unique,” Jo replied.
“Really?”
“I think you are and so does the wizard” He nods in agreement
I feel better after hearing this and my tears start drying out.
“It was very brave of you to fight the dragon, and I thank you for it. Just tell me when you want to go home.” The wizard adds.
“Goodbye, Jo. You should come and visit me soon”
“I will, Goodbye Jade.”
I turn around and face the wizard “I am ready to go home.” I say with newfound confidence.
The same rushing feeling entered my body and black took over my eyes.
I open my eyes and realize I am home.
Glossary
Abstract: to paint something using shapes, lines and forms that don’t look like anything we see on earth. For example, the painting lost where the top of the girl’s head fades into abstract shapes.
Eternity: Forever or time that doesn’t have an end. For example, We have been waiting in line forever, it seems like an eternity.
Worn: Something that has had a lot of use over time. For example, my favourite blanket is worn, it is dirty and has a hole.
Taunt: Like teasing when you say something to make someone mad. For example when someone says something that's supposed to be mean.
Sincerely: When you say something you mean and it's genuine. An example: I sincerely hope to see you again.
The Audiobook
https://open.spotify.com/show/0XgHE9gprTgrVufkAudaZJ