Players:
Summary: William works on his latest piece of art and chats with July about his style of living.
Date: April 21, 2009
Log Title Home Is In The Heart
Rating: G
NYC - Prospect Park
Located in the center of Brooklyn is Prospect Park. There are many paths circling the park for bike riders and walkers. You can rent a boat to take out on the lake, or stand on the shores to fish or feed the ducks. Many colors can be seen in the sky where the hill is in the center of the park from the many kite flyers. There can always be found a few peddlers in this area selling kites to those who wish to partake in the fun.
It's a beatuiful spring afternoon and William is out doing his usual thing, sidewalk art. He's a street artist and he lives on the tips he makes from drawing on the ground. He specializes in optical illusions with his art and that's what he's doing today. He's set up in an area of Prospect Park and is currently working on one of his chalk drawings. Right now it's a series of lines that go up and narrow with a lot of places filled in blue. It's just a start so it's hard to tell what it's going to be.
July is just walking around town, enjoying a walk outside the school now that she has a little better grasp of her powers, but she keeps an eye around for any villains wanting to make her a damsel in distress, her left hand never straying too far from her cellphone's on her left pocket, always ready to press the panic 'oh-my-god-help-me-villain-pwn'ing-me' button. But, during her walk, she spots someone graffiting the sidewalk, and she blinks. Ever curious, she approaches him, watching him work in silent curiosity.
There is chalk smeared on William's hands and blue jeans and there is a hat lying there with a few coins and dollars in it for donations. The money won't start really coming in until it becomes something discernable. He's busy just filling in a large area of blue when he stops because he's used up most of his chalk. He stands up and whipes his hands on his jeans, adding to the chalk already on his pants, and as he walks over to get more chalk he spots July and offers her a smile. "G'day."
July blinks softly, brought out of her reverie, as she's addressed. "Oh, hi. Good morning." she says, smiling a bit and waving to the chalk artist, before looking down to the soon-to-be painting. "Em, excuse me, but… isn't painting walls and sidewalks a crime?" She asks, her head tilting softly as she seems curious about this, but obviously not accusing anything.
William has never been asked that question before and is thrown off guard. "Excuse me?" He asks in his thick London accent. "What kind of bollocks law is that?" William's been here for about a year doing his street art things. "And I'm not painting, it's chalk, it washes away with rain and time." William's never gotten in any trouble with the law over it.
July blinks again, "I don't know?" she asks, rubbing the back of her head as she looks down to the painting, "I mean, I thought so. Depredating and all that. But if you say it comes off with the water from the rain… I guess there's no harm done." she shrugs softly.
William can't help but laugh. "It's chalk love, nothing more than chalk. I don't draw on the sidewalks unless it's with chalk. Until they make a permant chalk I don't think I'll be in trouble." William brushes back his hair from his face and it looks like he is over due a hair cut. He steps in front of his drawing and seems to be mulling a few things over. "I just hope it doesn't rain tonight, I don't know if I can get this all done."
July looks up to the sky as William mentions raining, and she shields her eyes from the sun before looking back down, to the painting, "I don't think it'll rain tonight. Forecast didn't say anything about rian." she shrugs softly, before turning her eyes toward the chalk man. "What are you drawing, if I can ask?" She asks, her head slightly tilted to the side.
William smiles as she asks what he's drawing. "It's going to be a waterfall, right now it looks weird cause of the lines and proportions but once it's done, from this angel, it's going to look like it's cascading down and you're standing at the top. I specilize in optical illusion styles of art. I'm Will by the way." He says offering a chalky hand to July.
July ah's softly and nods as you explain, while looking down at the picture, trying to picture the waterfall but failing miserably. She takes some time to notice your hand stretched out toward her, but when she notices, she oh's and smiles a bit, "Sorry." seh says, "But I'm going to eat soon and… dirty hands wouldn't help." she says, and she bows softly to you, "Nice to meet you, though. I'm July."
William has never minded chalky hands when eating but then he inhales the chalk dust all the time. "Pleasure July. Right now it just looks like a lot of blue, I still have a long way to go with the rocks and the pool and everything before it looks like anything. I got a late start this morning, it was easier to get up early when I was sleeping on park benches."
July ah's and nods as you explain the way you're working on the painting, but when you mention sleeping on benches, that gives the girl some pause, and she turns to face you again, "Wait, what? Sleeping on benches?" she blinks softly, thinking she might not have heard it well. "What do you mean? You don't have a home?"
William can't help but chuckle again. "I have a home back in England. I just haven't been there in over eight years." Sleeping outside never really bothered the street artist. "As long as it's not too cold and nice out, sleeping outside isn't too bad. I've lived the last eight years out of my duffel and art bags and wouldn't have had it any other way. I travel the world just doing my art."
July blinks at that, shocked into silence, before blinking again. How can someone prefer sleeping on benches than on a nice, cozy, warm bed. "Wait… eight years? You haven't gone back home for eight years!? How's that possible? I-I mean, don't you miss your home?" She asks, eyes widening a bit, "Friends? Family?… A bed?"
William shrugs. "Sometimes I miss my foster parents and my foster siblings but at the same time I get to spend all day doing art, and I love it." William still keeps in touch with his foster family on a regular basis but right now he loves the life he's living. "I get to meet amazing people from all over the world, I've made friends in Scottland, France, Ireland, Germany and other countries. Some people craze stability, I crave travling."
July blinks softly again, and then she looks down to the painting, then back to you, "Ooookay…." she says, "But, just curious, /HOW/ do you make money for traveling? I mean, there's no one paying you to do this painting, am I right? Do your parents send you money?"
"On a good day, especially weekends, I can make over one hundred dollars doing things, I also sell my art sometimes on the side of the road, espcailly in nicer weather when their are tourists on weekends. It takes a while but I just save up until I have enough to get a plane ticket and go. It's the visa that costs more than the actual traveling." Needless to say William doesn't have a lot of money and lives off of cheap food.
July rubs the back of her head as she listens to all that, then looks at the painting on the floor. "I guess you really have to love that lifestyle… I can't imagine myself doing that…" she shakes her head softly, "Without having a bed to return to at night. No offense, though."
"It's not something I'd say is the best life style for everyone, but I like it. It works for me. And no offense taken." William says as he goes over to grab a bottle of water he has lying near his chalk and take a drink from it. "When I was eighteen I kind of decided this is what I wanted to do, just me and my art."
July nods softly as you explain, while her eyes remain looking at the soon-to-be chalk painting of a waterfall. "I see. Where are you planning on traveling to, next, Will?" she asks, looking back up to you.
"Not a clue." William says with a chuckle as he goes to pick up another pieces of chalk and starts to go to town on filling in more of the blue. It's going to take him a quite some time. "I am thinking maybe Canada or somewhere else in the US or maybe going back home for a bit. I'm not sure, I'll decide when the time comes and the wanderlust hits again."
July nods to you as you start to leave to refill your chalks. "Ok." The girl takes one more look at the unfinished chalk painting and smiles before looking back to you, "Good luck with your paintings, Will, and good luck on your travels." she waves to you before going her way in the park.
