It’s so much a part of our vernacular that I assumed it was like any ordinary idiom, used around the world and understood by most people as a ‘sun-shower’. That magical moment when the sun is shining AND it is raining, and everything glimmers and feels unreal.
There are few things as extraordinary as a Monkey’s Wedding in the heat of a South African day. I can remember the tangible excitement that would flush over me as a child when I realised we were having a Monkey’s wedding. And now, as an adult, I still find Monkey’s Weddings captivating: the rain pouring down for these few fleeting moments while the sun is shining cheerfully through the clouds; making the light, raindrops, and atmosphere all around me shimmer.
And then, as quick as it came, it was gone. Like all magic.
The saying, Monkey’s wedding, comes from a Zulu phrase in South Africa,
umshado wezinkawu
Translation: A Wedding of Monkeys
I can’t wait to see Fynch’s reaction to seeing their first Monkey’s Wedding in our backyard.
The Process
As with most of my work, this piece started in my sketchbook.
While in the middle of our home renovation and restricted bed rest, I drew up the key layer for this print. Jazz-cat offered immense support and kept me company.
A couple months later, finally set free from bedrest and in my new studio (whoop whoop), I then went on to draw out each of the other colour layers for this print. There are 9 colours in total. The last one, pearlescent, is a transparent shiny layer, to give the glimmering effect of the rain during a Monkey’s Wedding.
Blue 
Light Pink 
Dark Pink 
Light Green 
Dark Green 
Grey 
Purple 
Yellow 
Pearlescent
This is how the positives look, stacked on top of each other as they will be printed:
And just for fun, I thought i’d make a crude colour representation for you to visualise in colour what the final print might look like:
