Bluewater Business Quarterly Winter 2009 Issue
Allegra Nova
Bluewater Village is known not only for its robust business district, but also for its community of painters, architects, sculptors, photographers, and other not so conventional souls who do not want to be confined to one specific media or the other. With a husband who wants to dig his fingers in paints at least 4 hours a day, it becomes natural that the first article I would write for Bluewater Business Quarterly would be about the various artistic talents who have gathered here.
the boys who don't have their fingers in paints
Starting at home with the boys. Castor my husband was the ring leader of his pack of frat brothers to suggest moving here to Bluewater Village after graduating from SimState University. Kevin Beare was with him in his passion for paint brushes and canvas. The others tagged along simply because they haven't figured out what to do with themselves after college. So seven of us ended up cramming in one house that was only designed for barely three sims. Then to top it off, Jared Starchild called the adoption agency to adopt Naville, a toddler taken away by the social service from his mother after a tragic accident. So instead of practicing their art, both Castor and Kevin, along with the rest of us, were all too busy scrambling in our search for jobs, fights for the one single bathroom, and the accidents that follow pure sleep deprivation and exhaustion.
So the conclusion one can arrive is, if one wants to excel in his pursuit of art, one really may have to put marriage, kids, and other responsibilities of real life on hold. It is no wonder that many artists of the past and present ages are solitary creatures. The focus one requires to paint, or even to tend to a pot of spaghetti, would quickly evaporate with one single whimper from a baby. One finds the more dedicated artists at the Bluewater Village Art School.
lessons from grilled cheese sandwiches
As I arrived at the campus in the morning, the well known painter from Desiderata Village, Natasha Una was offering a lecture in art as a process. She spoke passionately about the connection between an artist and his/her chosen subject.
the boys who don't have their fingers in paints
Starting at home with the boys. Castor my husband was the ring leader of his pack of frat brothers to suggest moving here to Bluewater Village after graduating from SimState University. Kevin Beare was with him in his passion for paint brushes and canvas. The others tagged along simply because they haven't figured out what to do with themselves after college. So seven of us ended up cramming in one house that was only designed for barely three sims. Then to top it off, Jared Starchild called the adoption agency to adopt Naville, a toddler taken away by the social service from his mother after a tragic accident. So instead of practicing their art, both Castor and Kevin, along with the rest of us, were all too busy scrambling in our search for jobs, fights for the one single bathroom, and the accidents that follow pure sleep deprivation and exhaustion.So the conclusion one can arrive is, if one wants to excel in his pursuit of art, one really may have to put marriage, kids, and other responsibilities of real life on hold. It is no wonder that many artists of the past and present ages are solitary creatures. The focus one requires to paint, or even to tend to a pot of spaghetti, would quickly evaporate with one single whimper from a baby. One finds the more dedicated artists at the Bluewater Village Art School.lessons from grilled cheese sandwiches
As I arrived at the campus in the morning, the well known painter from Desiderata Village, Natasha Una was offering a lecture in art as a process. She spoke passionately about the connection between an artist and his/her chosen subject.
After posing a nanosecond to glance in my direction, Natasha continued her talk with careful gestures of her hands:"While we all have different ideas about what art is, each of us being drawn to different media, what many of us share in common is the unquenchable urge to communicate with the world about how the subject of our heart moves our souls, let it be the immense vastness of the open sky above the desert landscape, or the way a grilled cheese sandwich sits quietly on the kitchen counter in an ordinary day. We feel compelled to paint and mold the same way the strings of an musical instrument vibrate and give off different notes when plucked. Through creative processes, we explore the many dimensions of our emotional and intellectual connections with our subjects. Through our works, we are actually creating a dialogue with our audience. There is this deep yearning that felt like physical hunger, that our works would move our audience the way we have been moved."
the girl who chewed crayons
Among the audience is Bianca Monty. In her conversations with another art student over the pottery wheel, Bianca began to reminisce about how she has matured as an artist here at Bluewater Village:"I left what felt familiar behind at Veronaville in my early 20s, and arrived at the Bluewater Village Art School with the barest essentials. I grew up chewing crayons and during the first year at the art school, I was so full of myself that I believed all I need to succeed is to improve my painting techniques."
"I have sacrificed a lot in order to succeed as an artist. Then I went through a very difficult period where I felt that I was not making any progress, that my works would never be acknowledged, that I was only wasting my time. A deep bitterness would swell inside my chest when I saw others falling in love. I was envious of other people's happiness. Yet even though I dislike Reagan Capp, I think it is good for her to find love again after loosing her husband."
"It took a full year of soul searching for me to realize that my art was not going anywhere because I was painting with my head only. Talking to other artists here really opened my eyes. There really is deeper meaning to the artistic endeavor while the final product is only a small part of...."
"Excuse me, I need to borrow Bianca now."
The interview with Bianca was cut abruptly short by another student, Michael Go, who grabbed her by the waist and gave her a passionate kiss.
the boy who delivers pizza
Bianca is actually very lucky in her pursuit of art. She came from a very well-off family at Veronaville and her mother has been very supportive of her. At the other hand of the financial spectrum is Ripp Grunt. Ripp does not like to talk about his family, yet his last name gave himself away as the son of former General Buzz Grunt who got impeached from his post last year. His mother left his father while Ripp was a kid. Former General Buzz Grunt was known to raise his children with iron hands. One day, Ripp just could not take it anymore. Before anyone else was up, Ripp packed the very little he had, bought one-way train ticket across the country for Bluewater Village Art School. He could not make it to Natasha Una's lecture at all because he had to earn his living delivering pizzas during the days.
"This is my last year at the art school. I have no money to pay for next year's tuition. Delivering pizzas just does not pay enough. Then I don't have time to practice my art enough to sell any of my paintings."
Even though Ripp was at the end of his line, he did not seem distressed.
"Are you not worried about your future?"
Giving me a little smile, he replied, "Today is my birthday. I just want to have fun today and let tomorrow take care of itself when it comes. Worst comes to worst, I got friends.."
Leaning closer to whisper in my ears, "or female patrons". Then taking a step back, Ripp continues with a smile in his eyes, "I am just kidding. I haven't even kissed a girl before. Yet I do have friends who are willing to house my stay from time to time. When one has no family to count on, you learn to count on your friends."
"I am meeting my friend Alexandra O'Mackey at Club Dante to celebrate my birthday. She stayed at the Bluewater Village Art School for some time to improve her skills in authenticating paintings. We can carry on the conversations on the way there. I wonder if I can finally have my first kiss before I turn old and gray", Ripp gave me a wink as we walked towards Club Dante. Having lived independently for a few years since he left Strangetown, Ripp seems mature beyond his age. Yet at the same time, he still got that youthful tenderness, the innocent hope of finding his first love.
At Club Dante, while his friend danced away, Ripp soon attracts the attention of a few female patrons at the club. Despite his youthful look, Ripp is a handsome guy. He was indeed hard at work, making new friends. Perhaps he was not entirely kidding after all about bumming off female patrons.
"I am going to be the town hero soon, you just wait and see", the young college graduate bragged about her future accomplishments."Oh, Officer Upsnott, will you cut me some slacks for speeding during pizza delivery then?"
"A town hero has got bigger fishes to fry. Giving out speeding tickets are is the job for nameless officers", the young woman answered with a bit of fluster in her face.
Ripp left Club Dante with his first kiss intact though. Instead, in the art gallery of the Bluewater Art School, he experienced his first kiss with another art student.
