The Pumpkin Painter
By: Dravida Seetharam
Tags: Pumpkin, Halloween

I am a natural painter. It seems I got the skill when I am born. I have been painting several images in my head. I could become a Rembrandt, Vangough or a Raphel when I grow. At least, I would be a Hussain or Souza. I am unable to paint now as I do not have access to proper paint or paper.

One day, I find a paper, and it was white. A pencil is lying nearby. I take it in my hand and start drawing a few lines. In a short time, the entire sheet is full of my scribblings. The lines are flowing as per my thoughts. I can tell you several stories of these scribblings. You can also make your stories on looking at these pictures, and this is my talent to appeal to different people in different ways.

Thatha Bujji has an iPad which carries with him always. He even takes it with him when he goes to bed, and he may not be getting sleep without the device next to him. Mummy shows me places where I can colour with my fingers on this device. I can pick a colour on the menu and fill an animal or an object. I can erase and experiment with another colour, and I need not take a bath after every colouring session when I am using the device.

One day, Appa brings me a watercolour box and some drawing paper. A lovely red brush comes along with the package. Mom teaches me how to use the colour pellets in the box. She brings a bowl of water. I wet the brush in the bowl and move the same to the palette. If I remember, I plunge into black to start, followed by red and blue. It becomes a routine for mom to push one paper and the colour box in front of me when I am cranky. After a while, I became a pro in this process. Appa collects all the painted sheets and pastes them on a dirty cupboard lying in the corner, creating a mini art gallery. This gallery is open to everyone, and there are no admission fees.

Very soon, mom commissions me to create birthday cards for my cousins, uncles and aunts. These are a big hit among elders. I feel like Raja Ravivarma, who was commissioned by various kings to paint portraits. However, I am one step ahead, and I do not intend to do images. I am a surrealist and an impressionist. It requires deep learning and experience to appreciate my work.

I have seen pumpkins and pumpkin parties in the Peppapig show. Appa got me a pumpkin last week, and it is large and orange in colour. I am terrified as I see a real pumpkin. My mom makes me touch the pumpkin, and I feel terrific. She removes all the seeds and strings from inside, and she carves the eyes and largemouth with a knife. The pumpkin looks very human with a smiling face, even without a nose.

I get a commission to paint the pumpkin. I choose blue for the eyes and red for the mouth, and I continue with colours of choice on the remaining surface of the pumpkin. I paint the pumpkin with great ease. The pumpkin looks like a clown, and I put a small cap on the head. My grandma gets a small lamp and puts it inside. The smiling pumpkin looks lovely with the light inside. It seems decoration and painting is very common in the US in this season; what they call “Halloween.”

The painted pumpkin rests on the wall outside my home and becomes a cynosure of all the eyes. My neighbours admire the artwork and are curious to know the details of the painter. My chest goes up by a few inches when anyone appreciates my work.

After a few days, I see wrinkles developing on my beautiful pumpkin, and I find him shrinking too.

As I wake up today, the pumpkin is missing and is seems Thatha Bujji has thrown it away. My beautiful artwork is gone, and you need to wait for one more year for another masterpiece from the painter.