CHAPTER ONE

As Via gently strokes her paintbrush on her canvas with ease, she can feel the serenity of blue, the renewal and growth of the life of green, the orange's prosperity and passion, and the merriment and excitement of pink. Creating a painting of quite a calm blue atmosphere with a fresh mint green field underneath and rich blossom on a bright-colored illustration gives soothing resiliency to her mental tension. On the thick-sized canvas made of cotton, she painted the skies in a pale shade of blue, clouds in unpigmented color, two partnered mountains of the same size in various shades of brown, tall and bushy trees in green. The large size had green grasses planted on the flat ground alongside the Daisies, Chrysanthemums, Roses, Sampaguita, Santans, Gumamela, and Tulips. In the center of the field was the running river that flows from the mountains.

The pigment of each subject shows the representation of her expression. Her aim to manifest her emotions through a masterpiece is to seek help from her mind's imprisonment. In her state of agony, her mind aches for the impossibilities of excessive wishes of wealthier conditions, peaceful nature, and separation from her peers, believing that this is the way to escape from being held captive by her unstable state of mind.

She pours another bottle of acrylic paint onto the painting board made of light-weighted wood to mix the different shades of colors to form a better shade. She felt the satisfaction of having control over their outcome. She knew the preciseness of shade that will come out without any measurement to find the correct quantity. The slippery of the liquid makes it more enjoyable to mix the paint, another type of control she is pleased to do.

The principle of control over the simplest of aspects is her wish to have in her life. She found a way to do so by playing with varying selections of pigments and putting together the pieces of art techniques such as the proper way to illustrate her objects and the mastery of which pattern of brushstroke should she implement for her imagination to come into life.

She chose the correct size of a paintbrush to gently highlight the objects on the painting to make it realistic, to transform her thoughts into a memorable picture. She continues to paint restlessly. When her artwork had only a few highlights on the work needed, she looks at the beauty of her creation with awe. Seeing her work in progress begins to have a clear picture of her fantasy fascinates her more as only a little polishing is needed. The exquisiteness of her hard work has uplifted her pride in her capabilities. As her painting progress, her imagination rambles continuously. How she depicted her fantasy of being surrounded by nature through illustration is exquisite; each detail closely resemblance the actual objects. No one can tell any longer whether it is a painting or a photograph.

Supplementary to her wishes is the desire to possess the epitome of beauty. Its thoughtfulness of desire madly walks in the notion of her mind that was unbeatable and bounded by cruelty. Unable to depict her wishes into reality, she shows her yearning through creativity. A young woman of her same age with the same physical appearance as her was painted and shown to be happy in remoteness, surrounded by nature. Although the young subject has the same facial features, its traits are enhanced; a little larger than her lip shape, more refined eye shape, neat eyebrows, naturally longer and uplifted eyelashes, and smoother skin texture. Its figure exhibits the beauty standard her creator wants to possess - the perfect woman.

She sat on her stool in a position that will not harm her back from the physical exhaustion of having to work with little to no food and water. Her eagerness to finish what she wanted to call the most beautiful masterpiece in the world led her to continuous hard work on the craft to the point of fewer hours of sleep, more isolation inside the four walls of her bedroom, and discontinuation of her other hobbies.

She observed her painting once again. She applauds herself once again for its perfection. To make it more perfect, she placed the young subject sitting with her left leg over her right leg amid the green grasses with innumerable sets of flowers, dressed in the style of modern cottage and simplistic Haute couture. The whole body portrait is enough for each of its detail to appear clearly - an example is the small teardrop-shaped earrings made with the substance of gold that surrounds the pink diamond on its center. The pink diamond is the most expensive of its kind, embodying the symbol of her impulse for an affluent living. The subject wears a circle mid-calf length dress, short puff sleeves, a large type of shawl collar with a white turtle neck shirt underneath, and small size but fitted belt around the dress, the perfect clothing to showcase the enhancement of its ideal body type of slim waist, attractively small and dainty shape. It also wears a pair of oxford heels of three inches, a classic style that was popularized in the 1930s, a symbol of her admiration for lady-like fashion but is comfortable at the same time for sports-like activities. The dress was yellow because it symbolizes happiness -that one aspect of her life that she wants to experience completely.

The six months have passed inside her bedroom of coldness, with only the possessions of her bed, processed food or canned foods placed on her bedside cabinet, easy access to the bathroom inside, her stool, and only her art equipment, then, she began her rest. She started to sign her name on the bottom of the painting and titled it Via's Masterpiece. It was a painting of a young woman who upholds the popular beauty standard imposed by the society and dressed in the modern definition of upper-class and elegant fashion, sitting in the field of grasses and flowers, contented and joyful with the sound of nature. She sat down to admire her masterpiece in the state of extreme melancholy. The painting was successful and beautiful; its realism will not allow a person to tell the difference of her work from a photograph. She continued to stare at the magnificence of her creativity in grief and sorrow. She has lost herself in the process and has done her artworks within the walls of solitude in silence, with no one else to praise her intelligence in art and no one to trust to show the artwork.

She had confined herself too much inside a bedroom that only measures up to seventeen square meters. Both the bathroom and the walk-in closet are not in the said measurement. There was not a single attempt to step her foot outside her definition of a safe place to be able to complete the Via's Masterpiece. Sweat, mental exhaustion, and dizziness were what she currently undergo; she has no mood for any other doings, not even to let herself intake some nutrients to care for her physical health. It was her first time isolating herself within a tiny space. She believed she fell into a great depression for a reason unknown to her. Depression does not need a rationale to discriminate against a specific person; it is blind towards one's socio-economic status, gender, race, and age.

Before then, she would publicly perform on stage to prove her artistic talent. In her belief, everyone should witness her works, or it will be a shame for herself because she believed her talent was worth sharing. It will be a tragedy for someone not to have witnessed a talent. She was ashamed of her current mental condition. Hence, she decided to separate herself from the eye of her family and friends. She considers her talent as her only needed source of recovery, a trusted companion in these times of miseries. She never liked to be presented to others as a flawed person with a complexity of both rational and emotional thinking.

Thus, she spent the whole six months: only catching sight and appreciating her previous paintings in the past few months and creating her recent Via's Masterpiece. She had prepared foods and drinks for six months to indulge in her greatness without the interruption of setting foot outside this safe area. She laid down on her bed that carries an undeniably soft foam, pillows, and a blanket and stared at her capability in art - her collection of masterpieces. All traces of anguish within her vanish.

Her other paintings on canvas measured to be from fourteen by sixteen inches to twenty by twenty-four inches were hanging on one side of the wall. Every one of them bears the similar theme she had recently painted – a portrait of herself, may it be in her dream dress and a magical place she had seen in her imagination. She did not cease to lay sight on those other displays on her wall because they were magnificent in her eyes that its impact is delightful. Who could have believed that such ravishing talent was by a twenty-year young girl who had only been creating masterpieces for sixteen years? Even she could not believe the abilities herself that tears fell on her cheeks as she acknowledged her genius in art. For her, she is rarest of the greatest artists to ever exist in her country of origin.

The first painting on a seventeen by nineteen inches canvas showcases the close picture of her face. Her hair was in an Edwardian hairstyle. A crown of jewels was on the top of her head. The earrings and the necklace were dangling made of silver and pearls. She had fairer skin, a more pointed nose, longer eyelashes, thicker and in-shaped eyebrows, her lips were in natural reddish-pink, better in its heart shape; there were more sparks in her eyes. Her facial expression and the cold stares were in a state of no emotions.

The second painting on canvas measured twenty by twenty-four inches in size represents her whole body portrait; she wears a white dress that extends under her knee, a pair of sleeves that reach her elbows, and a v-shaped neckline and a pair of white doll shoes with short linen-made white. Her hair was wavy and short that only falls until the same level of her cheeks. The subject sat by the closed but transparent glass window, seeing the view with nothing to offer but a plain night view with no star or the moon.

The third painting on the canvas with the measurement of fifteen by twenty centimeters, the smallest in size of them all, showcased the picture of only half of her face shown, with only the nose bridge, two eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes, forehead, and hair visible, even the ears cannot be seen any longer. The subject brought emptiness to anyone who looked at the painting; those eyes that meant to be dashing, able to take captive of its sparks turned out to be a blank stare, with seemingly no goal of a message to convey. The half-faced portrait shows bangs a few millimeters above its eyebrows, arched and thick eyebrows, cat-shaped dark brown eyes, slimmer nose bridge, and the hairstyle was in a tight ponytail. It was her portrait wherein the features are enhanced.

The fourth painting on the canvas measured to be twelve by eighteen inches showcases a picture of a modern architectural mansion surrounded mostly with transparent glass and a front garden filled with various types of plants. The subject was gazing at the lovely sight on the balcony, elbows on the glass-made balustrade, backbone bent a little, and legs were in their most comfortable position in standing. The subject wore a sleeveless collared navy blue shirt with the buttons colored white, high-waisted semi-fitted white shorts, and white two-inches doll-heels. The hair was red-colored, short, and curled at its edge.

The fifth painting with canvas measurement of sixteen by eighteen inches showcases a body portrait in a long gown that hid the shoes. The subject was wearing a bare shoulder balloon gown, long white gloves, a silver bracelet, a necklace, and dangling silver earrings as well, and a silver-made tiara on the top of her head. Her hair was a neat low tight bun. She was sitting on a chair with a balloon circle skirt spread out.

The sixth painting on the eight by ten inches canvas size showcases a picture of herself surrounded by maids to uptight her gown that reaches up to her ankles. The skirt was a 1950s-inspired long and balloon skirt. The waistline was tight as well as the neckline was a bit low. She holds her long curled hair for the maid to fix the ribbon that served as her belt. Both of the subjects' faces were unclear; the canvas is too small for such a detail.

The seventh painting on the canvas in the size of fourteen by twenty inches in the style of a portrait showcases a picture of herself in an ultra-modern interior design living room; she was sitting on one of the chairs as she looked at the beauty of the living room interior. She was wearing brown 1970s high-waisted flare pants, a loose collared blouse with long sleeves, and a classic-style watch. Her hair extends below her breast area, was wavy, and was not tighten up.

The eighth painting on the measured canvas of nineteen by twenty-four inches showcases herself wearing a low square neckline, spaghetti strap, dangling earrings, and a collar style necklace. Elbows were on the table full of different types of food - various fruits, roasted chicken, fried chicken, cake, cupcakes, steamed vegetables, beefsteak, and more. The subject was indulging herself in so much quantity of food alone.

She lost herself in staring at her masterpieces; they were beautifully done for her eyes that she thought they do not deserve to be on a wall in a small-spaced bedroom. They should be displayed at the museum for other people's emotions to be touched as well, just as she had experienced seeing those. All of her sorrows were gone for a while as she indulged in her talent. While she was laying her body down on the bed, her body felt comfort and satisfaction of having a rest after a tiring six months. However, such a feeling was short when she decided to change her laying position; she felt the skin of someone else laying beside her. She slowly turned her head to see what it was - her younger self, of around eight years old, dressed in her old school uniform with cold stares in flames of anger at her.