Story Contest: Work of Art - Margaret L. - 03/28/20

Contest: Winners

Story Contest: Work of Art

Submitted by: Margaret L., age 10, Cobleskill, NY

Transformation

“Oh! Come here, Isabelle!” my mother exclaims from the other end of the gallery.

I’ve been pretending to examine a picture, but instead have been thinking about all the things I could be doing with my best friend, Alyssa, back home instead of being here at this art museum that I never wanted to visit. But my mom is some sort of art fanatic, so every chance she gets she drags me someplace where they show art off, wasting both of our times.

But she seems really interested in this one, so I drag my feet over and try to at least act interested. Without even looking at it, I say, “Wow. So cool, Mom.”

Then out of the corner of my eye, I see the painting, and my mind is transformed. Suddenly, I love this piece as much as my mom does.

The blues swirl around each other, creating an ocean, and even though it’s an abstract painting, I think I can make out a sunset over the water. Or maybe it’s people cheering for competitive swimmers. There are so many possibilities, and they keep me looking, delving deeper.

The oranges and deep pinks blend with dark reds and light blues, all weaving an interconnecting web, spanning the canvas, making you speculate over what on earth it could be representing. A vein of deep, dark purple runs through the bottom.

The painting calls to mind a cozy fire with rugs, blankets, and armchairs, and makes me think of a warm snow day or a bonfire with people celebrating around it, maybe in the summertime.

“It—” I search for the right words—“you were right,” I finally decide on. Then I say, “I do love it, so much.”

After checking the painter’s name, I search the exhibits, trying to find more of her work. We analyze the paintings, searching for the places in them that evoke feelings we’ve never felt before. When the museum closes, we drive home, still talking about the amazing images we have seen today.


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