The artist and his four models were walking along the steep path towards the beach<\/p>\n
It was a steep descent made all the more difficult by the equipment that was being carried<\/p>\n
Frank was unable to carry much as he had lost his arm in the war<\/p>\n
He had sketched a little but this was to be his first painting for over five years<\/p>\n
It was to be called Sappho and her Women<\/i><\/p>\n
And had already been sold to a gallery in the capital city<\/p>\n
Although the war had injured his body it had also injured his mind and for a long time after he had not ventured into his studio<\/p>\n
He had lost many friends and their faces haunted him still<\/p>\n
Bertie, Sam, Percy and Phil
\nWere also artists
\nBut now lay still <\/i><\/p>\n
Before the war they had taken this path and had painted on the beach<\/p>\n
They swam together and often with the models<\/p>\n
But only Frank survived<\/p>\n
As they approached the beach a jump of about three feet was necessary as storms had washed away the path<\/p>\n
The four models<\/p>\n
Ann, Fran, San and Tan<\/p>\n
Jumped with ease<\/p>\n
But as Dominic Dan his assistant jumped the pot of paint he was carrying slIpped from his grasp and shattered on a nearby rock<\/p>\n
Two cream butterflies suddenly turned gold<\/p>\n
They flew upwards<\/p>\n
Towards the sun<\/p>\n
They were the happiest creatures on the beach<\/p>\n
Dominic, Dominic come thee hither
\nFrank the artist has brought a zither<\/i><\/p>\n
That is for later little Fran
\nTreat it with care
\nAnd hand it to Ann <\/i><\/p>\n
With difficulty Frank managed to negotiate the final jump and walked towards the sea<\/p>\n
Many artists have crossed this sea
\nBrazille John and you and me<\/i><\/p>\n
Frank smiled weakly at his assistant who was setting up the easel<\/p>\n
But only we returned <\/i><\/p>\n
The four models were in various stages of undress as Frank walked across to them<\/p>\n
I am not painting Venus Emerging from the Waves<\/i><\/p>\n
The models stopped undressing<\/p>\n
You will only need to be partially undressed a breast here a breast there as I want her poetry to be the narrative of the work
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
Then we should be covered in drapes<\/i><\/p>\n
Each of you should choose a different coloured drape and when you are done I will arrange your positioning near these rocks <\/i><\/p>\n
Fran chose a red drape which she hung from her naked shoulders<\/p>\n
Tan chose a violet drape<\/p>\n
Ann chose a white drape<\/p>\n
And San chose a green drape<\/p>\n
Dominic Dan would you cover that small rock with a blue drape
\nChoose the old one if you will
\nIt will encourage the models to keep very still <\/i><\/p>\n
But we will be as still as the day once you start You fidget like butterflies models four Frank said looking out to sea<\/p>\n Tan watched as Dominic Dan set up Frank\u2019s chair in front of the easel<\/p>\n Dominic Dan the painter\u2019s man Frank\u2019s assistant blushed as San in a state of undress walked towards him and kissed him on the cheek<\/p>\n When we leave this beach<\/i> Frank took the model by the hand and led her back to the others<\/p>\n Young lady I am not a painter, painters paint houses<\/i><\/p>\n I am an artist with only one arm who used to have two but if is God’s will it will have to do Who will be Sappho Frank? <\/i><\/p>\n Ann you have the white drape so you will be Sappho. You will need to sit uppermost on the rock with the others in your shadow. Cover your breasts as I only want to see your naked shoulder but try not to let your drape come into contact with the sea<\/i><\/p>\n Why?<\/i><\/p>\n Because it spoils the material and the drape soon loses its colour <\/i><\/p>\n Tan would you sit directly in front of Ann and Fran and om the opoosie side from loving San Then I will sit opposite my sisters <\/i><\/p>\n Yes, but with your back to me looking up to your sister highest on the rock in admiration Ann, Fran, San and Tan took up their positions but Frank was still not satisfied<\/p>\n It is all about a triangle.I need a triangle and Ann should be the apex of this triangle But I want her sisters to move into different positions in front of her. I will stop them when I can see the\u00a0 triangle<\/em><\/p>\n For some minutes the models moved into different positions until Frank saw his triangle<\/p>\n Dominic Dan had arranged the brushes and paints in the order that he knew Frank would use them and slowly the painting took shape<\/p>\n To relax the models Dominic Dan played the zither and read from the poets work<\/p>\n If I may be so bold Keep still young Ann Nothing else was said and Frank continued painting<\/p>\n His remaining arm had begun to ache but he ignored the pain<\/p>\n The arm that I lost hurts me more <\/i><\/p>\n Frank suddenly said<\/p>\n But better one arm than forgotten and dead <\/i><\/p>\n The afternoon was beginning to age and the sun although still high was beginning its journey into the night<\/p>\n Sisters four I have added the colour The models disrobed and ran naked into the low waves<\/p>\n The sea would soon cover the whole beach as it did every day<\/p>\n But not until the stars were near<\/p>\n I will stay with Dominic Dan Both men watched as the sisters frolicked in the sea<\/p>\n All women are really mermaids Dan they long to be creatures of the sea. As I painted the sisters they did not look at me or you but at the sea. They longed for the sea and the sea longed to share their beauty <\/i><\/p>\n It is all about beauty is it not Frank?<\/i><\/p>\n It is all about beauty and this was all that kept me going during that dreadful war<\/i><\/p>\n The thoughts of beauty of days like this watching the mermaids playful in the sea <\/i><\/p>\n I never had your experience Frank <\/i><\/p>\n I glad you were not with me as it would have ruined your life as it did mine<\/i><\/p>\n I prayed to God every night that your eyesight would remain poor and that you would be confined to an office pushing a pen instead of using a gun <\/i><\/p>\n I feel a cheat<\/i><\/p>\n You are no cheat, I was the cheat, I cried a lot ,not at first you know but as I lost my friends however the worst experience I had did not involve a friend<\/i><\/p>\n It was not about losing my arm.<\/i><\/p>\n It happened on a beach very much like this one across the sea<\/i><\/p>\n Frank stopped as tears were welling in his eyes<\/p>\n Carry on Frank when you feel ready I was walking along a beach where heavy fighting had previously taken place when in the sand I found part of a skull probably from a soldier like me whose head had been blown apart <\/i><\/p>\n I thought of him as young as you,I thought of his sweetheart of his parents sad and these were the thoughts that drove me mad <\/i><\/p>\n I collapsed a cried like an infant rare The older man wiped his tears with his artists rag<\/p>\n Soon I will have vermillion eyes Dominic Dan<\/i><\/p>\n It was your fate that you were in the hospital when the shell hit your ward <\/i><\/p>\n It was a kind fate you know as I might just have been a pile of flesh rotting on the battlefields with many others <\/i><\/p>\n I just lost an arm but the shell did not destroy my eyes I still see beauty in everything<\/i><\/p>\n In this painting which I would have gladly given to the sisters or to you had not been sold<\/i><\/p>\n There is no beauty in war <\/i><\/p>\n I agree, there is no beauty in war <\/i><\/p>\n Ann, Fran, San and Tan emerged from the sea<\/p>\n We sisters are exhausted may we climb the path before our strength totally leaves us?<\/i><\/p>\n Dominic Dan threw a towel to each of the sisters \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n Then dress before you catch a chill The two golden butterflies watched the gathering below as they flew from tree to tree<\/p>\n They were the happiest creatures on the beach<\/p>\n On a tree nearest to the sea they rested and spread their wings so that the sun would reflect its full colour<\/p>\n We were once black butterflies soiled by war As Frank, Dominic and the sisters climbed the steep path towards his house both the golden butterflies flew upwards away from the tree, away from the beach and headed towards the low sun<\/p>\n In a while we will take to the skies An hour later Frank, Dominic, Ann, Fran, San and Tan sat on the rough tables that overlooked the beach which was now in the shadow of the cliff<\/p>\n From their vantage they could not see the dying sun which was setting behind them<\/p>\n Without display Frank left the others and stood looking in the opposite direction when the far away cliffs were bathed in a magical light<\/p>\n Come sisters, come friend do share this with me From that moment Frank’s war ceased<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The artist and his four models were walking along the steep path towards the beach It was a steep descent made all the more difficult by the equipment that was being carried Frank was unable to carry much as he had lost his arm in the war He had sketched a little but this was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1541"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/i>As each of us knows that you care for your art<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
\nIs sweet on me but also Fran \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
\nWhen this day is done
\nYou will need to choose the special one<\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWhen was your painting sold?<\/i><\/p>\n
\nI am painting Fran <\/i><\/p>\n
\nTake a swim before the day gets duller<\/i><\/p>\n
\nAnd we will discuss the day
\nAs well as we can <\/i><\/p>\n
\nStiffen your back
\nAnd you will feel steady <\/i><\/p>\n
\nMy life was raw, my emotions bare<\/i><\/p>\n
\nThere is work to be done
\nAnd I don\u2019t want you ill <\/i><\/p>\n
\nBut beauty rescued us once once more<\/i><\/p>\n
\nAnd plan the sunset
\nFor each of their eyes <\/i><\/p>\n
\nThe night, the sunset and the golden sea<\/i><\/p>\n