Katerina Vorontsov
July 20, 2021 10:00 PM
Art Club - Passing the Torch by Katerina Vorontsov
Painting had always been an indulgence, one with almost no practical purpose – she had given a few pictures as gifts to her family before, but for the most part, painting was something Katya did entirely for herself. As a result, it was the art form she had, reluctantly, engaged in the least over the course of her seventh year. Any time she was painting was time that she could and probably should have been doing something else, but this year, with her exams looming, there really had been no time at all for it. As a result, she supposed that some of the others might be surprised that she had brought a painting to Art Club again, even if they weren’t confused by the subject. Which was also likely.It was not the most technically daring or complex piece she had ever done, and did not even really draw over-much on her imagination. Instead, she had painted the Art Room the way it usually looked when she was hosting the club, along with examples of every kind of art she could ever recall anyone making here: there were paintings and sculptures, knitting needles and embroidery hoops, Allegra’s quilts, papers and quills for the poets who attended from time to time, even, in one corner, a half-completed piece of metalwork in the process of becoming a necklace as a nod to her sister. Tatiana was difficult and loud and thoughtless and did things Katya couldn’t remotely understand, but she had, even when they were actively fighting, showed up here when she’d still been at school, and while showing off had doubtless been part of her motivation, Katya believed the core of it really had been that Tatiana had wanted Katya’s project to be a success.
Of course, she was not really in an objective frame of mind now, and hadn’t been when she’d made the painting – the forms realistic, but the colors at varied saturations and none of them in alignment with reality, giving the whole thing something of a dreamy quality. It was not the proper way to think of things at all, but she had already started to feel sad and sentimental when she thought about the club. She was proud of this, both in how it had worked out in ways she’d planned and how it had worked out in ways she hadn’t. She was proud of her work, too, even if it was mostly pointless. There was no reason to be sad, especially since this need not be the end. She wouldn’t be here much longer, but they would all go on somehow, and hopefully keep making art. In fact, she thought that once she finished RATS, she might get to paint as much as she wanted for a while, until she got married. Until then, she wouldn’t have very many obligations, other than looking for a husband, on her at all, and after a lifetime of social activities and lessons – well, if free time was a currency, the near future was going to be an embarrassment of riches. It was a bit unnerving to think on too long, really.
Fortunately, then, she still had many other things to occupy her mind for now. She smiled warmly at everyone as they gathered for the meeting.
“Good evening, my friends,” she said, just as warmly as she had smiled, her hands clasped at her waist. “I hope you are all very well tonight. I am excited to see what pieces you bring and make tonight also, but first, there is a small business which I must speak of with you.” She smoothed the front of her robes unconsciously. “Soon, I must go, and not return, as you know. I hope that someone will become leader here in my place. If anyone has interest, please speak to me soon, between now and the next-to-last meeting of this year.” That gave them, what, two months? Surely that was enough time for everyone to think it over. “Thank you. So. Does anyone have new art to show first?” she asked, looking around the group.
Subthreads: What to do? by Valentine Duell with Rosalynn Tellerman
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Katerina Vorontsov
Art Club - Passing the Torch
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