New Neighbor ✔️

37

"I can't do this." 

"Why not?" 

"Because I don't feel the same way you do." 

"It isn't difficult." 

"I know but...still." 

I laughed. "Just close your eyes, look at the canvas, and do what feels right. There is no right or wrong with art." I walked over to the water color paint and handed him the green. When he took I from me he raised an eye brow. "When you think of green, what do you see?" 

"Trees, grass..." 

"Anything else?" 

"Um....no?" 

I laughed. "Okay, so here." I took it from him and squeezed in his hands, just as he has done to me before. I set it down and took the spray bottle spraying the canvas. "Now just feel. You don't have to think of grass or trees, it doesn't have to be an object, and it doesn't have to make sense, just put you hands on it and feel." 

He nodded and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. He rubbed the paint in his fingers then placed them on the wet canvas. He traced the top of it allowing the paint to drip. He was slow with his movements, and then suddenly swiped his fingers in a circle, three swipes rounding the canvas. He pulled his fingers from the surface and looked at me. 

"I just felt like doing that." 

"You don't have to explain anything. That's good." I looked over to the other paint colors and reached for any that I got in my hand. When I pulled back I had a deep purple color and held it up to him. He nodded and I squeezed it carefully, being sure not to get the green on the tube. He moved fast and pressed his hands over the canvas and moved them back and forth. 

This went on for about 30 minutes, and by the time he was done, the canvas looked...interesting. When I stepped over to where he was standing, I was able to see what he was trying to do. In the middle, where most of the purple was, it looked like a planet or moon. There were small shadows with white paint giving a faint look of craters. Around was green and orange with splatters of different shades of blue. I smiled to him and he looked at the canvas with furrowed eyes. 

"What do you think?" I asked him. 

"I don't know." he said tilting his head.

"I think it looks great." 

"HA! No." He said shaking his head. 

"What?" 

"You are just being nice...it looks awful." 

"If you don't like it change it." 

"But...I...uuggnnnn." he stomped his foot like a child making me laugh. 

"You don't have to do it now. From now on any time you come over and you feel inspired to add to your work, you can come on in here and do it. Whenever you feel as if you are ready to work on it, just do it. You'll know when its done." 

He nodded and walked over to wash his hands as I pushed his easel over into the corner of the room. "How do you know when you're done with a project." 

I shrugged and walked back over to the middle of the room sitting on my chair. "I just do." 

"That explains a lot." he said sarcastically drying off his hands. 

I laughed. "I don't know. I guess it's a feeling." 

"How did you decide you were done with that one?" He asked pointing to the one I made for him.