When the birds stopped chirping

11. Unbreakable Ties

                 

A sombre, stunned expression was painted on John's face when I stepped forth the workshop's entryway the next morning. Silent he did not turn around to greet me while he sharpened freshly made charcoals. His latest artwork, an overview of Heavensgate at dawn from the shore commissioned by a rich businessman, stood rigid against the wall, as if waiting to be disposed of quickly, nonsensical and inert. He pinned new paper to his easel and started to sketch a sky full of birds by thin, light grey strokes that followed an undefined direction.
- Good morning Kim.
He turned back on me while he worked up his composition with a large shading tool.
- Excuses are useless.
- I'm deeply sorry! I should have asked for your permission before, I exclaimed as I battled in retreat, eyes low. Such artwork  ... left unfinished, why?
- The story of my life truly begins the day I took under my wing a little birdie as apprentice even before the occurrence of the Gathering, John related while he painted fluffy clouds with a clean large brush. I was touched by his enthusiasm and his optimism. He kept moving forward although he knew the true meaning of life after losing too early his siblings in their boat's wreckage. As he grew up I could describe him as a foolhardy boy, already well tried by destiny, who wished to become a committed painter standing up for his beliefs to denounce openly harsh living conditions on the boats to Heavensgate.
His only presence made me smile and cheered up the old geezer in me like a warm ray of sun. He discovered he had a passion for surrealism as he learned art by my side. I was glad to teach him my knowledge about painting. He was genuinely talented at a young age and learned fast.  We shared an almost filial relationship. However the rise to power of Pipelin Pantonium has changed everything. Not only it shattered people's hope for democracy. My apprentice was forced into collaborating with the government against his will if he wished to get known. It broke his wings and drove him into deep depression too early.
He sketched a guilty smile and handed a sketchbook and a bowl of charcoals over to me:
- Ungrateful brat better focus on the things most important to you before it is too late to enjoy life to the fullest enclosed in your workshop like in purgatory mourning about the past with bitter remorse. Now draw me what you see if you have what it takes to become a true artist!

What I saw...
A judgemental society. Humiliation. Determination.
At first the utensil swayed between my fingers. I tightened my grasp and started to draw curves and straight lines I shaded with a blending stump. A silhouette took shape under my strokes, leaned against a high wall made of stone behind the bars of a narrow prison cell. A thin window dispensed the only lighting. Twitchy my breath fastened. The man looked like the shadow of himself and the free bird he once were. Across the wall, were scribbled hurriedly the words  "Never, Give, Up" like a final warning. From time to time, I took a few minutes to look back at my work. Once done, I refused myself to do a few touch ups. My technique was not perfect in many ways. I humbly admitted I had so much to learn. John studied my piece for a while with an artist's eye before he spoke:
- It's a rather conventional artwork above average judging by its execution, quite well done overall. It seems obvious that you're willing to put meaning before technique in your creations. You have yet to find your own style. I want to know what Kim Campy himself would think and do if he were in the shoes of this wounded man fighting for his beliefs arrested and thrown in jail for being a staunch political opponent to the regime. To feel the meaning of your picture I want to look at you standing up for democracy with all your might.
- I understand that you still have a long way to go.
- To become a known artist, and I guess you've been working hard for it until now, you should acquire self-confidence in your skills. You don't need someone else's permission to create. Take in account what other people think of your work. Whether your works are said to be good or bad, there is always room for improvement. Having talent is the cherry on top. You can have a lot of talent and a lot of imagination your experience gained by practice and your creativity will make the difference.