My entry in the 2020 Fall Writing Frenzy is below. I used Image 14, courtesy of Susan Kaye Leopold. Other entries can be found here.
Still Life
by Kathleen L. Small
Penny tugged the black hoodie closer to her face and sank lower on the bench. A stuffy art museum is an awful field trip, she thought.
“This way,” the docent said, leading Penny’s classmates into the next gallery.
“It’s beautiful.” The old lady beside her spoke softly.
“What?” Penny glanced at her bench companion.
“The van Gogh. He painted sunflowers so lovingly.”
Penny studied the painting hanging before them—two cut sunflowers against an abstract blue background. Vincent ’87 scrawled across the bottom corner.
“He painted that one in Paris. Such a romantic city.” The old lady sighed.
“They look dead.”
“They probably wilted while he painted. In his later paintings, he kept them in a vase. He loved yellow.”
Penny approached the painting and leaned closer. The flowers were vibrant; the brush strokes strong and bold. “I bet I could do that.”
The old lady chuckled. “You should try.”
Penny looked at the black skull tattoo on her wrist. “I don’t do color.”
“Vincent said, ‘The sunflower is mine in a way.’ You should make it yours too.”
Penny’s teacher hurried over. “Come along now.”
Penny winked at the old lady. “I will.”
“And paint in Paris.”
“Someday!”
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I really enjoyed your story! Intriguing characters and beautifully written. 🙂
Thank you!
This is a pleasure to read. Really impressive to give us so much using so few words! Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks, Linda. Staying within 200 words makes you pay attention to each word.
This is beautiful. Full of wisdom and inspiration! I absolutely felt lost for that short time. Bravo! I want to see the girl’s black and white sunflower paintings… 🙂
So glad you got lost in this short piece. I do envision this scene being expanded in a future novel. Stay tuned for more!
What an interesting conversation between characters. I especially loved your first line where she pulls down her black hoodie.
It was fun coming up with such a short piece inspired by a beautiful photo.
Smashing! Such an authentic, inspiring piece. I also think of Van Gogh when I see sunflowers, as I think many do. But I’d never heard that brilliant quote before, and you incorporated it so beautifully. The conversation between adolescent and elder rings true and reminds me of going to the Art Institute of Chicago with my Great-Aunt, an accomplished painter, who studied art in Europe. I hope Penny gets her chance to go to Paris and paint, too! I’d love to read that story, especially as a graphic novel.
Thanks so much, Anne. I’m going to expand the story of Penny and the old lady during National Novel Writing Month. I’m excited to start working on it. The Fall Writing Frenzy gave me a test drive of how the two characters might interact. Much to be learned from the older generation and so much opportunity for growth and development by the younger generation. Art is a common uniting element.
Thanks for sharing this inspirational story with us for the fall writing frenzy
The writing event was so much fun!