Jonalisa Nichole S. Flores Journalism 1032011-29762 Assignment: Metaphors

Life is like painting. It starts with a blank canvas, and we, as artists, splash and stroke colors inspired by people and experiences onto it. In the end, whatever medium we use, whatever style we select, the painting comes out great.

We choose what instrument we will paint with. It can be a brush, a sponge, a bunch of pencils, or maybe even every tool imaginable, because we can only paint this one work just once and we want to create something different, something that can make people stop in their tracks and admire.

Sometimes, what comes out of our painting depends on what medium we use. Our paints are the people in our lives and the events we experience, and our lives can only be as beautiful as the means we choose. The colors may be festive, because our days had been extraordinary; or we might use dark, neutral pigments, because it may always seem like night.

There will be days when we’re forced to use a medium or tool because it’s the only one available. There will be moments when we guide the brush to where we want the color to go but it takes another path and we cannot control it. When we make a mistake on a certain shade or if we put the wrong color, we will sometimes wish for another medium. But we’re great artists, even if we’re not aware of it, and we can find ways to work around whatever blemish or stain the error had created to still end up with a beautiful work of art.

Style is another factor for a painting. We can go on a splashing frenzy. There are times that our paints spatter on another’s work; it can affect their paintings, whether positively or otherwise, and we have to watch out for that. A painting can be started with a sketch, but it can also be done spontaneously, with the artist just following his or her heart.

Like with everything else, too much or to less is something to watch out for in painting. Too much of a solvent, like water or alcohol, would make your medium too runny that it can spill all over your canvas and damage the part you have already done. Too much of your paint would probably be okay at first, until it dries later on and cracks start to form.

One should remember that a good painting is a perfect combination of solvent and paint, of dark and bright colors, and of the artist’s skills. There is one thing that’s constant though: The starting point. One’s canvas may be different from another’s. The canvas she used may be cheaper than the one he did. It doesn’t matter though, whether you use a sketchpad with the most expensive type of paper or the wall in your room made of dilapidated wood, because what matters is the painting we finish.

And when we finish—we all will—our paintings will all be masterpieces.

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