Artistic Passions

Today we have a new author; Ben Hannigan, a masters student in literature currently based "oop north" in England, but he has lived all over the United Kingdom and spent time in North America. He enjoys shooting, Larping, and is something of a gamer.  He can usually be found either logged into a console or a computer either gaming or writing original fiction, but admits to playing in other sand boxes as well. When not at a computer, Ben enjoys a good glass of uisge beatha in a pub older than the US. 
"Hopefully my work entertains and evokes a response, my dream is to get something published and see it in a bookshop so I can sign a few copies for my own amusement." 

Artistic Passions

by

Ben Hannigan

He sits down in the corner of the main communal work room, facing the door.  He sits, his back to the wall. The room is simply chaos, noise, swearing, smell of clay,  paint and turps alongside the heady sickly sweet warmth of student life, a live -in area.

It’s busy with messy final projects.  There’s naff all space so the girl with mousy auburn hair, drops into the seat, and exchanges murmurred greetings.

Him still scrawling, his hand a blur as he paints a portrait with nothing more than blue ink and the images flying though his subconscious.

During the day, mumbled comments pass across the couple as they work. Both reaching for the same rubber, their hands touch, they blush in tandem and smile at each other.

The small talk moves to more and more personal topics; from music, to artistic influence, to food and family.

As the sky blackens with passing time, the workspace empties as people retire. The scent shifts from stale sweat and people, to cooling night air and drying paint.

He mumbles and blushes, she does the same. They rise together; throwing work into bags.  Shyly they walk close and slowly move, until hand in hand.