Art With A Story III

By John Nieman

Art with a Story III is the third volume that combines original art with fresh fiction and is arguably the most daring. _ e themes deal with relationships, breakups, pleasures, cravings, and pastimes. _ e artwork is primarily watercolors and pastels that have been shown in many galleries around the world. _ e short stories that accompany the pai

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Mar 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643672182

John Nieman

John Nieman, an accomplished artist and writer, has exhibited his paintings throughout the United States and in Europe. His first book of art and poetry, Art of Lists was published in 2007. He has published two novels, The Wrong Number One and Blue Morpho. In addition, he recently published a childen's book called The Amazing Rabbitini. Mr. Nieman lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and is the father of five children.

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Art With A Story III

Copyright © 2019 by John Nieman. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities, and incidents included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, and entities is entirely coincidental.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of URLink Print and Media.

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Published in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-64367-219-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64367-218-2 (Digital)

1. Fiction

2. Art

22.01.19

For my kids, who encouraged me to get back on my feet and create again

Contents

Preface

Broken Hearts

The Supreme Boarder

Larry, the Cross-Dresser

UK Stars

Big Cups

The Big Apple Eats

The Not-So-Little Libation

Lefties

Hymn

The Market Gamble

The Painted Lady

Help Wanted

The ’52 Chevy

Soft Power

The Peeping Tom

The Good Doctors

Not a Peep

Buddy Movies

Let’s Tango

Pot by Any Other Name

Please Don’t Cry

The Boys of Summer

Makin’ Whoopie

The World on a String

Late Bloomers

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

The Not-So-Holy Girlfriends

The Umbrellas of Ferrara

Keeping the Faith

Into the Woods

Pickup Lines

The Day after Christmas

Come Fly with Me

Happy Birthday, Dear Ralphie

Carrots VS Sticks

Curveballs

I Walk the Line

The Same Boat

Icing on the Cake

Burning Love

The Longest Day

Very Stylish Home Runs

Juniors

Love Songs

Sammy Swings Again

Welcome to NYC

Leaps and Bounds

Four-Legged Friends

Lines

Boxed Out

The Silver Lining

The Sand Stalkers

It’s About Time for Freedom

All or Nothing

Three-Way

Lights, Cameras, Cowboys

All in One Basket

Stroke, Stroke, Quack, Quack

The Top-Heavy Showgirl

Up on the Roof

The Last Days of Chuckles

Women Who Changed the World

The City that Never Sleeps

Gooey Butter Goodbye

Preface

I love to paint. I love to write. Most of all, I love to combine the two in a way that is engaging, surprising, and sometimes emotional.

First, let me answer the obvious chicken-or-egg quandary: which comes first, the art or the words? For me, the answer is always the artwork. In some cases, the paintings were actually done years before the short stories. You will notice that my art often utilizes words. Often, it’s a list that amplifies the subject matter. Sometimes, it’s a bottom line that editorializes the main image. In other cases, I dispense with words, but I always try to create a sense of contradiction in the painting that can tickle the viewer.

As for the stories that accompany the art, it’s a less-than-linear payoff. Sometimes the flash fiction is funny or emotional or provocative. I am never trying to literally pay off the picture. The stories may draw upon the subject matter or simply tell a tale that refers to the image in one brief scene. It’s not a scientific equation. I usually just look at the painting and squint until a story comes to mind.

I hope you enjoy the combination.

Broken Hearts Watercolor, 20x16, 2015

B

roken Hearts

Elaine Bennett felt unlucky in love. Of course, that’s the familiar plight of many seventeen-year- olds. It’s too early for a long-range commitment, but the heart flutters are definitely there. It feels so real. It feels so thrilling. It feels so special. And yet at this age, it is often illusory.

Her first fling at fourteen was with a certain Robert McDuffy. She still reflects fondly on the days when she and Robert would hold hands walking home from high school. In fact, it was her first real romantic kiss when they would sneak behind the garage and embrace. However, it ended abruptly when Elaine realized that Robert also had another girlfriend who also enjoyed lingering kisses.

Fifteen was a big year for the young woman. She had a whirlwind relationship with Alex Anderson, the heartthrob of every girl in that sophomore year. Given her feelings for the young man (and vice versa), Elaine willingly lost her virginity that year. Wow, what fun is that—and so grown-up too! Unfortunately, it would only last three months. Alex’s father was promoted to a job in California, and the entire Anderson family moved one thousand miles west shortly after Christmas. Elaine cried for weeks.

Jack Rogers was next. He was the biggest jock in school and captain of the football team. Despite his studly looks, his daily practices in the fall and his preoccupation with televised sports events interfered with their romance. Also, he was a popular party boy. Despite Elaine’s best efforts, it was diffcult to keep him from straying with eager cheerleaders.

Mr. and Mrs. Bennett always encouraged their beautiful daughter that the right prince would come along one day, probably when she was in college or beyond. Meanwhile, they applauded the studies and the achievements that Elaine attained in high school. It will pay off, her dad advised her. Chances are, you will get in a top-notch college and be an American success story.

For the next several months in her senior year, she tried her best to heed her father’s advice and build her credentials for the future. She was elected to the student council and the Volunteers of America. She even joined the Junior Achievement organization.

That’s where she met Billy Grayson. Unlike the studs and jocks that had previously attracted her, Billy was such a decent, average guy. He had a part-time job in his dad’s construction firm and never complained about the work. Most importantly, he was always nice to Elaine. Their moments together were fun and fulfilling, but Elaine intuitively knew it was probably not forever.

What do you plan to do after high school? she once asked him.

I want to go to Rankin Trade School and learn carpentry. I’m pretty good with lumber, saws, hammers, measures, and vices. When you get out, it pays pretty well, and there’s always work. What about you?

Elaine stalled for a few minutes but then answered honestly, I figure I’ll go to college somewhere. Hope it’s close, Billy retorted. We’re good together.

That night, when Elaine opened her mail, she learned that she was accepted at Brown University— one of the highest-rated colleges in America. It was cause for celebration in the Bennett home. However, Elaine sat on the news for several days rather than announce it to Billy.

She instinctively knew it would end their relationship. It would be impossible to reconcile two drastically different paths eight hundred miles apart. Unlike her past breakups, this would be the first one instigated by her. After stewing about the subject one long night, she broke the news to the nicest guy she had met in years.

Billy was silent for several minutes. Then he haltingly spoke, I figured this was too good to last forever. But I’ll tell you this—it really does break my heart, because we really are good together.

A tear slowly rolled down Elaine’s cheek. I know. I know exactly how you feel. She truly did. Ultimately, the two of them just hugged.

You are Never Too Old 24x14, watercolor, 2016

T

he Supreme Boarder

Dwight Billings was something of a celebrity in Malibu, California. Even at the ripe age of eighty-one, he was able to win the senior skateboarding race down the twisty, curvy Mulholland Highway, which he had dubbed the Snake decades ago. The moniker stuck. Consequently, he was often featured in the Malibu Times for his contribution to the sport and for adding mystique to a wealthy community near Los Angeles.

He didn’t start out a skateboarder. In his younger days, he loved the water and would ply the Pacific Ocean every weekend. Surfing was his passion at the time. However, when he tore his rotator cuff two years in a row, he could no longer dog-paddle his way out hundreds of yards to catch the wave. No, he needed a sport that didn’t tax his shoulder muscles but could still give him the exhilaration of boarding.

Fortunately, a new thing called skateboarding had begun to gain some limited popularity in the late 1960s and 1970s. It was mostly embraced by teenage daredevils who enjoyed speed and even hills. At the time, the wheels were made of metal rollers. The only way to maneuver was the lean to the hard right or left, and as Dwight had learned the hard way, spills on asphalt required lots of bandages.

The polycarbonate wheels of the 1980s made life easier. These wheels were more like those found on high-end roller skates. The turns could be sharper. The control could be more enhanced. The speeds could be safer. All this appealed to Dwight Billings, who, in his late forties, adopted the sport as his own and could often be found racing down the roads of Malibu, frequently passing boarders who were half his age.

By the late nineties, the popularity of the sport grew, and races were introduced in many communities. Denver had a wonderful two-mile contest down a paved mountain road. In the New York Adirondacks, a 1.5-mile race took place every autumn.

Inspired, Dwight approached the Malibu City Council and pitched the idea with a twist. He suggested age categories—teenagers, twentysomethings, participants under forty, and a senior competition for boarders over the age of sixty. Understanding the affluent demographics of the Malibu, Mr. Billings had one other suggestion: community contributions for each boarder, which would then be funneled into a worthy cause.

In 2001, the races raised $15,000 for the Salvation Army. Each category had at least ten participants, with the exception of the senior category, which attracted only four boarders. Not surprisingly, Dwight easily won. The same result happened the next fourteen years, with contributions going to St. Jude’s Hospital, the boys