Hearts On Fire Episodes 21
The next day’s tutoring usually began at King’s Peak viewpoint, but most of the group wished to work on their current projects at the villa, so they postponed that trip until the afternoon.
Wizzy and Charlie set up their easels outside their annexe, on a patio shaded by a vine-covered trellis.
It was light enough to paint, but sufficiently shaded to avoid burning.
Wizzy let Charlie get on with her own work.
She’d never seen her friend so keen and enthused, applying paint in broad strokes and bold dabs rather than her usual painstaking touches.
Once she reached a natural pause to allow paint to dry before applying the next layer, Wizzy turned to her friend.
“How would you advise me to paint this plaque?”
Charlie wiped her hands on a rag and transferred her attention to Wizzy’s bench and leaves.
“What do you want to achieve?” she asked, much to Wizzy’s astonishment.
Normally Charlie just said what she thought.
“I’ll have to explain the whole painting.”
Charlie raised her eyebrows.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Because I’m not painting what I see, but what I imagine.”
Charlie stared at her for a few moments.
“That makes no sense, but I’ll go with it for now. What do you imagine?”
Wizzy explained how her plaque was the exact opposite of the statue Charlie was painting, which tried to represent Isabella in real life.
“It is the embodiment of the person it commemorates. Their spirit, for want of a better word.
“Hence I need the lighting to reflect the other-worldly them in the continuation of our world, but as their spirit self experiences it,” she finished, sweeping her hand around the stylised leaf portion of the painting.
“Have you gone mad?” Charlie asked.
Wizzy laughed.
“No. Imagine sunlight glinting off the brass as a heavenly light, but nothing over the top. Like the light behind Jesus in Raphael’s ‘The Transfiguration’.”
Charlie nodded.
“That I understand. Explain what you’ve done.”
Wizzy showed her the area which she had largely left untouched so far.
Charlie offered several suggestions, which she was explaining when Julia arrived.
“Hi,” Julia greeted them. “How’s it going?”
“I was giving Wizzy some suggestions on how to give the plaque a suitable glow,” Charlie replied.
“Excellent.” Julia turned to Wizzy. “Is that helping?”
“Oh, yes. She’s come up with some brilliant ideas.”
“Are you happy to continue alone?” Julia asked. “Do you need input from me?”
Wizzy didn’t have to think about her answer. She shook her head.
“Any more ideas would set my head spinning.”
“Great.” Julia turned to Charlie’s canvas. “Oh, wow! This is a real change of style for you, Charlie. How are you finding it?”
Julia seemed pleased.
Wizzy listened as Charlie explained how she was approaching this new venture.
Watching Julia closely, it seemed their tutor was tired, with pale cheeks and bags under her eyes.
Even so, Julia appeared genuinely interested in Charlie’s work, for which Wizzy was thankful.
Moreover, Julia was winning Charlie around.
If she could encourage her friend to move from her strict photographic reality style, perhaps Charlie would sell more, and that would improve her mood.
“Well, you two sound like you’re on top of things. I’ll leave you to it, shall I?” Julia finished with a smile.
Charlie waved a hand.
“Thank you,” Wizzy said. “We know where we can find you if we need you.”
Julia retreated again.
“I wonder what she was up to last night,” Wizzy said, as she mixed the yellow Charlie had suggested she start with.
“Up to? What makes you think she was up to anything?” Charlie had picked up her brush.
Wizzy hesitated. Perhaps it was best if Charlie had noticed nothing amiss.
She didn’t want to provide ammunition to fling at their lovely tutor.
“Oh, I thought she looked tired, that’s all. Probably the heat kept her awake.”
Charlie snorted.
“Not the heat. That fruitcake in the room next door. Have you seen how she ignores him all day?”
“Who?” Wizzy asked disingenuously. “Mark?”
“Yes. She had to deliver his breakfast yesterday, and I was up in the night walking and thinking about my painting.”
Wizzy’s eyes widened at this revelation, but she decided not to interrupt.
“I was on the path behind the house, playing the part of a wartime partisan sneaking about the countryside under cover of darkness.
“Thespians call it method acting, but Lord knows what painters call it.”
“Good heavens!” Wizzy exclaimed.
“Yes, I thought it was a tremendous idea. Anyway, a muffled yell rent the still of the night.
“I looked up and Mark tore out on to his balcony, looking like the devil was after him.
“Julia’s light came on just after.”
“And?” Wizzy asked, agog.
“I slunk into the trees. Disappeared like a phantom into the night. A partisan up to no good must remain hidden.”
“No, I mean what happened with Mark and Julia?” Wizzy clarified.
Charlie shook her head.
“I have no idea. I carried on around the grounds and finished up in the livestock enclosure. Did you know the chickens roost in the trees?”
“What? Do they really?”
“Yes. I asked Marianna about it when I reported the strange goings-on this morning. Roosting up high keeps them safe from ground predators.”
“Oh, I never knew that,” Wizzy returned.
“But they nearly caught me,” Charlie went on.
“What? The chickens?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Charlie laughed. “It was Mark and Julia an hour later.
“I had to sneak out of the animal enclosure pretty smartly, I can tell you.
“It was terribly exciting. I felt I was Isabella Martaci herself.” Charlie added bold strokes to her painting.
Wizzy stared in astonishment. What on earth was going on?
“I hope you haven’t got Julia into trouble with Marianna.”
Charlie stepped back to examine her work.
“I told Marianna everything, of course. You don’t sneak about like that without reason, do you?”
To be continued…