shades of red

cardinal red;

The art room constantly smelled of
fresh paint; at this point, it just mixed in
with the air and twisted with the oxygen molecules.

The janitor hated cleaning the art
room because of the smell, so he
started to open each paint bucket and
pour in a few drops of vanilla extract.

"It takes away the awful smell;
I honestly don't know how you
can tolerate such a stench!" He
scrunched up his nose, raising his
mustache with his facial expression.
His accent wobbled across his vocal
cords and his tongue as he tried
to suppress himself from gagging.

Professor Augustine shooed him away,
"Alright, alright. I'll make sure we open
up a few windows when we paint."
He walked to the back of the class,
as he usually does when he starts a lecture.

"Now, class, take out your journals and
jot down the words you think are most important.
When a person searches up the definition of
art on the Internet, they get something along
the phrases of: "the expression or application of human
creative skill and imagination". Typically, one
can expect to see art in creations such as
painting or sculpture.
But why does art exist? Why is it important?
Google says that we appreciate art quote
"primarily for their beauty or emotional
power" unquote.
Another question to ask yourself is, how
long is too long of a wasted time spent on
a painting?" He had walked a few inches away
from the back of the classroom. Usually, this
indicated a long lecture as he timed himself
and when he reached the front, he'd be done.

"Can anyone guess how long it is estimated
that Leonardo da Vinci spent painting just the
lips of Mona Lisa?"

He sharply peered over the students and saw
not a single hand rise.

"Some say 3, some say 12 years, some even say 22.
Artist Thijme Termaat spent 2 and a half
years creating a time-lapse of one of the
most detailed paintings I've ever seen.
It took Picasso 2 to 3 weeks to paint Guernica.
Ernest Meissonier took 13 years to finish
his painting Napoleon's victory at Friedland.
Some say Edvard Munch's The Scream
was painted merely in the lapse of 5 to 6 days.
Manabu Ikeda spent almost 4 years painting Rebirth.
Lorraine Loots spent one year drawing small
365 paintings. Yet, these numbers sound grand
and some are shorter than it takes for a strand of
hair to start budding, regrowing itself after being
plucked out. The project that I've assigned you
limits you to almost 4 months of time. I've seen
partners bicker over what to draw, over how to draw,
over if they should draw." Professor Augustine placed
a hand on Charlie's shoulder as the words left his
mouth. Charlie pressed his pencil deep into the page,
avoiding the crystal eyes.

Professor Augustine continued to walk up the middle aisle.
"Art isn't something that will come out of the threaded
clouds on its own; it is born once the brush touches
the canvas. It is born once the spray hits the wall.
Once the pencil's graphite comes in contact with the
flattened tree, art takes a breath. You have
the capability to make people experience emotion.
Make me feel love, grief, anger; you're in control.
Don't let the fear of art scare you from letting
a masterpiece be given its first chance at life."