She sits with knife in hand
and pigments in a wooden box at her feet,
mixing a viridescent shade to layer onto lovingly stretched canvas.
The canvas depicts tranquility, calm.
Impasto renditions of what her life is not.
Surprised by the sharp resurgent pain
she takes an even sharper breath and leans forward to layer in the greens,
pleased with what she sees.
Lamenting her sore ribs,
she thinks of Phillip.
He doesn’t understand her art,
her drive to create
something that will last longer than either of them.
Finally deciding, she removes the ring from her hand, drops it, and
presses it down with her foot. To cover it, conceal it,
lose it.
tnkerr-Writing Prompts and Practice 
Oh, so sad. But if he doesn’t understand something so central to her, perhaps it’s a good decision.
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You had me at “viridescent.” 🙂 I love how you portray the art as the place/way to escape. True on different levels for different people, but True.
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Some really lovely imagery here, Thom. The short lines especially punctuate the character’s determination. Well done!
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“leans forward to layer in the greens” reminds me of sitting back in art class and watching everyone dance around their canvases, concentrating on their canvas. You’ve convinced me you’ve watched artists paint too! And good for her for leaving him, the bastard.
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Nice juxtaposition between the life she creates in her paintings and the one she’s currently living in. You really showed how artists retreat into the worlds they create. If they’re lucky, they learn something from it, like your painter does.
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Thom…. viridescent! What a completely wonderful word. This just epitomises the artist’s drive/compulsion to create, despite all obstacles. And how tragic that he doesn’t understand her. You’ve covered so much ground in so few words — I’m envious of your pithiness. Delightfully done.
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I could repeat what everyone else has said, Thom, but instead I will just tell you that you made me very easily empathize with her and cheer her on. Oh, and viridescent!
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