Queen of the Banana Monsters
Queen of the Banana Monsters
Some paintings are about vision, and others are about process. This one began as pure play with my 3-year-old. Together, we filled the canvas with color and texture. He made paint strokes with brushes, toys, feathers, and even a mop. He invented a story about a “banana monster” as he painted. I showed him how spray paint could transform shapes. A cup became a stencil for circles, and gold paint dripped across the canvas like sunlight.
At first, there was no plan, just exploration, joy, and curiosity. But when he told me he was ready to be done with this painting, and told me to finish it, I looked into the chaos of color and started to see her. A face, hair swirling with movement, flowers crowning her head. The blue spray paint had fallen into the perfect shape of a tear, and the gold became the curve of her neck. I followed those hints, letting the background guide me toward what was already waiting there.
The result feels alive with both our hands. The wild, imaginative marks of a child and the layered intention of an artist. It’s about collaboration, about surrendering to process, and about how beauty can emerge from play. Can you spot the banana monster?
Medium: Acrylic, spray paint, and mixed media on gallery-wrapped canvas
Size: 48 x 48 inches
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