Oubai Satomi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azuranthine) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
savethecitydesu2013-03-22 02:43 pm
azuranthine) wrote in savethecitydesu2013-03-22 02:43 pm
A pleasant afternoon in the park.
Who: Satomi (Open)
Where: The West Park
What: Satomi likes to paint in the park.
When: An afternoon during the weekend following the library thread.
There was something about the West Park that drew Satomi. Perhaps it was the size, it was smaller and seemed less popular than Kochi Jinja park. Maybe it was the old bear statue in the park square that ensured her presence whenever the whether was nice. Something about it comforted her and put her mind at ease. Quite the curiosity, it was.
And so Satomi had set up her portable easel in front of a bench in the park square. She was sitting on the bench with a small jar of water, an open watercolor set, a thin roll of paper towels, and an array of soft paintbrushes laid out beside her. A large tote bag with a color scheme that could only be described as psychedelic rainbow sat on the ground by her feet.
Where: The West Park
What: Satomi likes to paint in the park.
When: An afternoon during the weekend following the library thread.
There was something about the West Park that drew Satomi. Perhaps it was the size, it was smaller and seemed less popular than Kochi Jinja park. Maybe it was the old bear statue in the park square that ensured her presence whenever the whether was nice. Something about it comforted her and put her mind at ease. Quite the curiosity, it was.
And so Satomi had set up her portable easel in front of a bench in the park square. She was sitting on the bench with a small jar of water, an open watercolor set, a thin roll of paper towels, and an array of soft paintbrushes laid out beside her. A large tote bag with a color scheme that could only be described as psychedelic rainbow sat on the ground by her feet.
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The mention of clubs made Aya shift slightly, and she had to stop and catch herself before she replied. "Just kendo this year. Maybe the media club or another sports club next semester if I'm up to it but it's final year. I should be focusing on graduating and what comes next."
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Satomi noticed the slight shift and it seemed like her senpai wanted to say more than she did. She wouldn't pry, however. She didn't need to. People had a tendency to spill their secrets in other ways over time if you paid close enough attention.
"Ah, sculpture, maybe, though I'm more inclined toward the two-dimensional art forms. Theatre certainly looks fun and I love to watch it but I'm not sure acting is my thing."
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"It doesn't hurt to try things new and if you're peeking in anyway, you should go for it." She smiled encouragingly. "And if you don't try then how do you know it's not your thing? It's just for fun anyway."
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There was a rare moment of visible surprise and confusion from Satomi. Her paintbrush began moving again, this time with stronger, more vivid strokes, and slowly the ghostly face of a young woman began to appear among the swirls.
"I suppose I could give it a try. Since it's just for fun."
Though the thought of her mousy little self on stage and performing in plays was still laughable to Satomi.
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"Oh, have you figured out what your painting wants to be?" She asked, noticing the new form in the cloudy swirls.
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As she painted, the form gradually grew more distinct. The face in the painting didn't look completely Japanese, either. Hints of thick wavy hair emerged among the swirls.
"Okay, I'll sign up. If nothing else, I might be able to help make sets for plays."
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"That's the spirit." Aya nodded enthusiastically. "Like I said, it doesn't hurt to try. And you might be able to do both."
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Satomi smiled then turned back to her painting. She gave her painting another one of those purely objective stares. Satomi tilted her head to the side, looking thoughtful.
"Maybe it's me from another life?"
A soft giggle.
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She shook her head slightly.
"I'm glad you think she's graceful."
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"How long does it usually take you to finish a piece?"
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Another swirl of the paintbrush.
"I don't believe there's a wrong way to read a painting. They speak directly to a person's heart. There's what the artist meant to say and how the view interpreted it. It's not really a question of right and wrong, though."
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"But if there's a message in it, can't someone get it wrong on their own? What if someone looks at this and decides it's really about something far out, like it's secretly a metaphor for water pollution or an image for the current economy?"
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This conversation was starting to feel a uncomfortably like an interrogation of some sort. But Satomi had been the one to open the door, hadn't she? Or maybe she just wasn't used to being questioned like this. It wasn't as if she'd had a lot of lengthy conversations with people and Shirokawa-senpai had been in charge of the Disciplinary Committee last year. Perhaps old habits died hard?
"So if you were to interpret this piece as is, what message would you take from it?"
Both her expression and her voice remained calm, revealing nothing of her increasing anxiety.
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She sat back. "I guess I'd have questions. Is she really in the water? Who's she and why's she there? Is it another 'you'? I don't really have a message as much as I'd want to know what it is." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, that probably isn't very good feedback...."
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Satomi studied her painting, hand still moving though the strokes didn't seem quite so certain now. For a moment, she seemed to lose control of her brush, smearing the girl's eyes into an ugly blur. Ordinarily, she would have hurried to fix the error but this time, she just sat there holding the paintbrush.
"I wonder who she is," she said in a subdued voice that bordered on monotone.
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"Look, I'm sorry. I'm not very knowledgeable with art so I probably said something completely stupid and I'm sorry," she blurted. "I didn't mean to offend you."
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She managed a reassuring smile for her senpai.
"You didn't do or say anything wrong so please don't worry or think that you did."
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She stared at the painting again. She didn't know whether it was worth pushing her mouth a bit further right now but, "I think it's got something, though, even if it's not done yet. You're painting to find the message in it but it's still there, somewhat. Like..." She brightened and nodded. "Like cookie dough. It's not done baking so it's not cookies yet but it can still taste good and you have an idea of what it could be but you won't know until it's done. It might not even turn out to be cookies in the end but a sort of cookie brownie. It's just the answers to the recipe you decide fit best in the end."
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Satomi nodded to herself.
"And cookie brownies can taste just as good as cookies and brownies." She hesitated. "Perhaps this painting will be easier to understand after it's finished, then."
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There was something oddly embarrassing about unveiling unfinished works, Satomi thought, but she'd done better this time than she usually did. Normally, no one paid her any mind when she came here and in all honesty, she preferred it that way. Standing out from the crowd truly was an overrated luxury.
"Um, I should probably start packing up. I have some things I need to do at home," she said, sounding apologetic. "It was nice speaking with you, Shirokawa-senpai"
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She gave the younger girl a bright smile and waved as she went on her way.