Life Art

Too impatient to wait for the paint to dry Kallah began building up the background layering the paint and blending colours in a way that it became blurred and indistinct. She lost track of the time and was startled when Sally appeared beside her looking at the canvas with a tilted head. "Interesting," was all she said before nudging her friend. "Come on we're packing up its beyond late, finish it in the morning, the first class doesn't start until ten."

Kallah looked around and noticed only one or two others still at their easels and let Sally help her with her things as she carted the box of supplies and her wet canvas up to their room. Kallah noted that it was well past three when she finally fell into bed exhausted and realised she had forgotten to call Mason to say goodnight. She quickly texted, "Good night my love," and smiled at his immediate response, she knew he was worried but nothing he had warned her about seemed to be on the agenda unless a little skinny dipping counted, and she hadn't done that.

A creature of habit Kallah as usual woke early and unable to get back to sleep got up to shower and get ready for the day. There were three individual shower stalls in the large bathroom with lockable doors. One was already occupied, and she could hear the tell-tale sniffles of crying as she approached the stall beside it.

"Are you okay?" Kallah called out tentatively.

"Oh, um yeah sure, too much to drink last night," she other voice said quietly.

"We've all been there," Kallah laughed, "You'll feel better after breakfast." She started the water and revelled in the hot shower washing away the dust and grime that came with her travel yesterday and a long night they had had. Her thoughts flew to Mason and the way his hands washed her when they showered together as if memorising each curve and nuance of her body. Eager to continue with her painting from the night before, Kallah didn't linger and stepped out of the cubicle to stand at a basin alongside the woman who was obviously still distressed.

"I'm glad someone else here is an early bird, let's put our stuff away and grab some breakfast, you'll feel much better," Kallah smiled encouragingly. "I'm Kallah by the way. It's so hard to remember everyone's names after such a short introduction, and you're, Tracey?" The woman nodded and gave a lop-sided smile.

Several minutes later they entered the kitchens where a small team of cooks was getting things ready. "Cereal is over on that table," A middle-aged woman waved her hand. "Bacon, eggs, tomato, hash-browns over there," she pointed to another table. "Help yourselves," she smiled. A third small table had been set up with an odd conveyor belt type of toaster and a range of breads and spreads.

"This is great! Thank you," Kallah enthused. She toasted some multigrain bread in record time and helped herself to the hot food from the covered bays while Tracey seemed to follow along behind her doing the same as if on auto-pilot.

They sat out at the long table on the veranda, and Kallah grinned, "I love breakfast food, you don't have to feel guilty for not eating vegetables or salad." Tracey gave a small laugh and nodded in agreement. "My boyfriend is into all that natural stuff, but I swear green health shakes can never compare to good old bacon and eggs." Kallah piled her bacon and egg onto one piece of toast and then sandwiched it with the other before biting in with an appreciative moan.

"You're right," Tracey laughed, "This is supposed to be a summer getaway from the real world. I'm gonna think of it like Vegas and as we know from the movies, what happens in Vegas..."

"Stays in Vegas," Kallah finished for her. The two women talked about their art and why they had wanted to come to the weekend workshop. They had finished eating with still no sign of the other artists, so Kallah suggested they grab their canvases and supplies and do a little work on what they had started the night before.

"I think I am just going to take a walk, it's beautiful here," Tracey replied, "I'll help you carry your stuff out though."

Kallah's phone rang as she was gathering her canvas and box of supplies from the night before and smiled as she answered it. "Hello you," she felt the warmth of his reply even though he was so far away.

"Hey there, cutie, I wasn't sure of you would be awake yet it was pretty late when you messaged me," she could hear the concern despite the teasing words.

"It's beautiful here, I just got a bit lost in painting and forgot the time. I'm sorry I messaged so late," she said.

"You can let me know you are thinking of me anytime, anyplace," he chuckled. "I have been thinking about you all the time since you left."

"It was only last night silly," she responded with a laugh.

"Really? Seems much longer," his voice was thoughtful, and she laughed.

"I'll be back tomorrow night. Why don't you go out with the guys you work with tonight, you are king of the geeks now thanks to me," she teased him.

"Mum and her friends are still here, I think James wanted to stay in the city for a few extra days. Amber finally talked me into having her and Bryan over for a few drinks, I'm not convinced it was a good idea," he explained.

"I'd love to see Bryan's face when he meets your mum." Kallah laughed.

"Well, come home and you can," he said lightly but Kallah could hear the forced laugh.

"Don't worry about me being here everything is going well, I have met some great people, one of the girls is waiting for me now so I better go," She didn't want to have this discussion again. "I"ll call you later when I have time."

"Okay," he said slowly, "Miss you."

"I love you Mason, please don't worry," she said overly brightly.

"I love you too, be careful," he said softly and then he was gone. Kallah put her phone away and went to find Tracey.

They walked out the back to where the easels from the night before still stood and in the warming morning summer sun and Kallah let herself look at the scene in the cold light of day before immersing herself in the canvas.

"That's an interesting take on the scene," Bryce McCabe disturbed her bubble of concentration looking up into the trees for the chrysalis that appeared on her canvas dangling between willowy branches before the moon as if being cradled by the visible crescent.

Kallah looked back at the house and saw that everyone was now on the veranda. "I guess I should re-join the other's for whatever is planned for today."

""Yes, please," Bryce nodded finally looking directly at her. "You can leave that here to dry if you like it will be safe." They began to walk up to where the others were finishing breakfast. "Did you have breakfast?" Bryce asked.

"Yes, thanks. I'm an early riser. I wasn't alone though, Tracey was up early too," she smiled.

"Oh? We thought she might have been sleeping late. Do you know where she went?" Bryce asked.

"She said she was going for a walk. Isn't she back yet?" Kallah was concerned.

"I am sure she just lost track of time, Paul will send someone out to find her," Bryce said reassuringly. "We keep an eye on the ones we chose to mentor here."

"Is Paul her mentor?" Kallah asked with a sinking feeling remembering the tears in the bathroom earlier that morning.

"Yes, we each have three, and you are one of mine," Bryce put his hand in the small of her back in a familiar way and guided her to a seat near Cora and Tim.

Paul addressed the grouped saying that they would have the next few hours to work on the pieces they had begun the night before with their mentors or begin something new. "It is expected that by the end of the weekend, each candidate would submit a minimum of three and a maximum of six pieces if you wish to continue your summer workshop experience," he explained. Then he went on to add, "Each group would be asked to model for at least one session during the weekend as Kick's group had done the previous evening." There would also be an opportunity in the hour before lunch to talk with the other mentors and get their feedback on any work done, thus far, as well if it were needed or wanted.

Kallah could see Cora nodding her head and remembered the conversation of the previous night. Cora had been disappointed to find that Bryce would be her mentor; Kallah was sure she would make use of that time to seek out Harry Hart. Kallah, on the other hand, found herself wondering if David Fielding would consider mentoring her when she visited him to appraise the pieces he wanted to sell or at least have a look at her work.

Bringing herself back to the moment, she listened to the plans for the day and instructions on where the extra supplies were kept and made available to those that needed them. She felt a little concern that Tracey had not reappeared by the end of Pauls instructions but put it out of her mind deciding to seek her out over lunch later that day. Bryce gathered his protégés for the morning session suggesting they return to the easels near the dam to begin the time they had been given.

Bryce suggested they each look at each other's work and give a critique, bearing in mind the theme of the weekend. Kallah had not wanted to intrude on her fellow artists as they worked and realised to her own chagrin that they had both used the skinny dippers of the night before as the focus of their piece while she had all but ignored them.

Once again the time flew by as Kallah began to adjust her painting of the previous night. The chrysalis glinted in the sun when she sought out its location once again, and she smiled. Using her knowledge of her new friend Sally, she began to paint her into the dam like a muted colourful watermark; a humanlike reflection of the chrysalis that hung in the centre of the painting glinting in the moonlight.

Happy with the final overall effect she achieved from the layering of paint onto the canvas she stood back and welcomed further criticisms from her Bryce and the two others in her small group. With little time to spare and affording her new friends the same courtesy of critiquing their works Kallah picked up a new canvas and began to sketch a new idea for the scene onto the canvas. All too soon for Kallah they were asked to return to the larger group for an informal chat, open critique and further instruction before a light lunch.

Kallah caught up with Tracey, who smiled shyly. "I am sorry I was a worry this morning," Tracey began.

"Oh, don't be silly. We have all had one too many drinks and lived to regret it," Kallah laughed. "I am just glad you are feeling better."

"There you are!" Sally almost shouted as she approached Kallah and Tracey, "Come critique me," she grinned and led them over to a large canvas. The garish red and black painting was an environmental message meant to shock and possibly disturb as against a blood red sky a swirling black hole of a damn seemed to be swallowing everything around it including blackened human shaped tree who seemed to have faces frozen in a scream worthy of Edvard Munch.

"I am not sure how I am supposed to feel, its frightening," Kallah stared at the piece.

"That's awesome, if you feel anything at all it's awesome, but I was going for scary," Sally pursed her lips studying her canvas.

"Maybe it's not so frightening, maybe it's just a reminder that sometimes you just have to accept things you don't like, and then it gets easier to deal with," Tracey said thoughtfully, making the other two women turn and look at her. She laughed then, "Oh don't mind me, I am just..." she waved her hand and changed the subject. "Did you get yours finished, Kallah?"

"Yeah, I think so, but I find it hard with oil paint to just leave it alone once it's done," she laughed and led them to where her canvas stood leaning against the rail on veranda.

"Ooh, look at me all shiny and pretty," Sally grinned, "I like it!"

"Wow, that's amazing," Tracey breathed, "I don't have nearly enough talent to be here. I think I am almost embarrassed about what I have done so far.

"You're drop dead gorgeous though; it's not like you need great talent for people to pay attention to your work," Sally teased but a look came over Tracey's eyes, and she didn't smile at all.

"Come on then your turn," Kallah said encouragingly, "I bet your painting is awesome!" They walked over to Tracey's canvas and stood for a moment without saying anything. Heavy trunks in the foreground marred the scene where water and reflected light showed through the barricade at intervals with small glimpses of flesh. It gave a disconcerting peeping tom point of view that felt wrong to Kallah, and she struggled to find the positives about it to say out loud. Sally wasn't as subtle as her friend, saying exactly what Kallah was thinking and asking if she felt uncomfortable about the skinny dipping.

"Not at all," Tracey said, "It was just... I guess it must have been the wine, I think I had too much or something."

"It reminds me of a children's book I had, Red Riding Hood where the wolf hid in tree's waiting to grab the girl and drag her off," Sally shivered. "If you were looking to get an emotional reaction then you got me," she smiled and turned to Kallah, "She is gorgeous and talented, we should hate her now." Her laughter took any sting from the words and Tracey finally joined in the laughter.

They did a tour of the room looking at each painting, Kallah noticed that Cora had cornered Harry Hart and was flirting outrageously with him as he commented on her piece. There was something just so off-putting about Cora that Kallah knew they would never be friends the way she was with Sally. She hoped they would keep in contact after the weekend regardless of who got into the school. She liked Tracey but more in a big sisterly way, where she felt protective and wanted to help her.

The three young women sat together during the lunch and joined in the friendly banter about the table. Tim had joined the table close by, and Kallah found herself liking him more as she got to know him. Towards the end of lunch, Bryce stood and called his group to follow him inside. The large living area looked cavernous as it had been cleared of its usual furniture and setup with easels all facing a small table with several stools and a chaise lounge.

"I thought it best to use this time for our turn to model as you will in part be able to spend some time on your own work between poses. We will be encouraging people to look at specific muscle groupings so having to stay still will be done in fifteen to twenty minute poses with breaks between. Initially, all three of you will poses then we possibly will do to two at a time or one depending on your fatigue or the difficulty of the pose," Bryce was very formal as he gave them their robes and suggested they go change.

"No point in being shy at this point," Tim chuckled and began by pulling off his shirt. Kallah shrugged and joined him, agreeing with his sentiment, but Cora took the robe and disappeared. The rest of the larger group came in slowly just one or two at a time as Tim and Kallah sat on the stools at the table with their backs to the audience and sketchbooks before them on the table. Bryce had not wanted them to be disadvantaged by their time as the models for the group which was why he had chosen this session and furnished them with their equipment.

Kallah was comfortable in her own skin. She knew she was neither as gorgeous as Tracey nor as plain as some of the girls she knew. She and Tim spoke quietly about how they came to apply for the summer workshops and ended up modelling nude for a life art class. Cora ignored them as she entered and went straight to the chaise, dropping her robe quickly she lay down facing the back of the couch and open a small paperback to read shutting out the rest of the room. Tim followed her movements but looked back at Kallah and rolled his eyes.

"If everyone is ready," Paul said stepping between the models and the group. He went first to where Cora lay stroking a finger down her spine and talking about to curve and the way the muscles bunched at certain places in the position she held herself. He moved to Kallah and Tim speaking of the differences in physiology between the male and female form. His hands continually brushed her skin and turning her head she noted that he barely touched Tim. None of it was provocative, but it made her uncomfortable, and she cursed Mason for putting suspicious thoughts in her mind. She was more relaxed and at ease with Bryce when he came up during the pose time and placed his hand in the small of her back while he leaned over and spoke to her about her sketch.

When a break time was called Kallah pulled on her robe, trying to tell herself that her misgivings about Paul were only due to Mason's concerns and that he had done nothing that should worry her as much as it had.

Tim didn't bother covering up, but Cora belted her Robe tightly before moving from the chaise lounge. Kallah draped her robe over her shoulders and moved about the room looking at sketches while sipping water from a bottle. Tracey approached her with a sad smile and took her hand, "Looks like your next, good luck," she whispered and moved away before Kallah could ask what she meant. A moment later, Paul took her by the elbow and guided her back to the front of the room.

"If you could just stand in a position that comfortable for a moment," Paul said softly and took a step back to study her. She found she didn't feel comfortable with his constant gaze seemingly appraising her, so she settled for putting her hands on her hips and taking a solid stance. Paul stepped forward his hands softly brushing the contours of her body as he repositioned on of her arms and the tilt of her hips.

"There think you can hold that for fifteen minutes?" Paul asked gently looking into her eyes. She nodded not trusting her voice. She felt his presence as both menacing and kindly at the same time. Unable to sketch in this position she found her mind wandering to Mason and his warnings. She tried to tell herself that his warning was the only reason she felt so uncomfortable with Paul, who for all intents and purposes seemed charming, with a friendly kindness for the students at this workshop. It was more than that though she admitted. She didn't like the soft brushes of his hands on her flesh as if reflecting an intimacy they didn't have. He didn't just move her into position or highlight a muscle group in a detached, clinical way as had happened when she had modelled at college. His touch was almost caressing, and it made her uneasy that Mason's concerns were more than just rumours of what went on at the summer workshops.

By the time her pose finished, she had convinced herself once again that her suspicions were just a part of Masons misgivings about her attending the workshops here even for the weekend. She had nothing to worry about and after this modelling session she would just stay away from Paul Vaughn unless in a large group. Bryce seemed genuinely interested in her work, and she hoped to get to speak more with Harry Hart about his work while she had the opportunity.

Tim took her place to pose, and she watched as Paul gave him instruction rather than touching him to put him into the pose required, but told herself that it was probably just a guy thing. She felt she was right about that as he watched Paul treat Cora to similarly if not quite as intimately touching her when she took her place on the floor blushing modestly. Kallah took the time to survey the group of students as they relaxed and chatted between the poses. They were each young and good looking in their own way; there was a vast array of size shape and colouring as well as style for such a small group.

Once again she pushed away Mason's words of being invited because she was young and pretty and concentrated on her sketch book. She had some fairly decent sketches of figures by the time she was called back up to pose with Tim again and with the helpful instruction on muscle groups she believed she had finer detail in her sketches than she had previously achieved.