The Artist In Mourning: A Nagatoro Short
Based on the Series "Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro" By Nanashi/774
By AntonSolo
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm bringing this out at the moment while I'm still working on the final chapters of "The Day Things Changed" as a tribute to a true artistic genius. David LeBatard, known throughout the Art World as LeBo, passed away on August 1st, after a year-long battle with an undisclosed illness. His Brother, Dan LeBatard, formerly of ESPN and Host of "The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz," is a media colleague of mine, and something of a kindred spirit. Dan and I are similarly aged, and like me, he's the elder son of his family. It's devastating to have to endure the loss of a family member, and as I've shared in the past, I have gone through the loss of both my parents and now it remains just my brother and Myself.
I won't try to put into words the pain Dan is feeling right now, but something he said during his show, which he did as a form of cathartic therapy, mentioned that he was already preparing for the passing of his parents, when his brother died. I know first-hand, you can say you are prepared for it, but the truth is, it's going to sting no matter how "Prepared" you think you are. Losing a family member is a heart-wrenching experience, and Dan, being the elder son, all of this lays an even bigger burden because his little brother, the one person he could say he's known his entire life, good or bad, is now gone. I can only imagine the torment he's enduring and I sympathize with him in his sorrow. Rest Well, Lebo, until you and your family reunite in the place where no shadows fall.
It was a bright July afternoon along the Miura Peninsula as the droning of the Summer Cicadas echoed over the region. Although the students of Kazehaya High School were on Summer vacation, Naoto Hachiouji was in the School's Art Club Room, a canvas sitting on an easel, half-filled with a cartoon-like freeform black cat. Between strokes of his lead pencils, he was looking through a large illustrated book, entitled "Modern Art of the 21st Century." The pages were turned to a section on a style of art known as "Postmodern Cartoon Expressionism," and Naoto was doing his best to his own interpretation of the art style. The fact that he was trying to use a cat for his attempt was not lost on him, as he knew very well what, or rather, who, that cat represented.
Slowly, the exaggerated feline features came into prominence, the unique characteristics of the object of his affection began to emerge as well. The parallel hair pin on the cat's right temple, the impish fanged grin, and an almost maniacal glint in the pair of sparkling brown eyes clearly meant to represent none other than his own troublesome feline, Hayase Nagatoro, the girl who, over the course of the last school year, not only turned his world upside-down, but also started to pull him out of the seemingly bottomless pit of loneliness he had consigned himself to as a defense against the bullies who had tormented him since his days in elementary school. She was also the girl he had, quite surprisingly, fallen in love with, despite everything she seemed to revel in, namely teasing him relentlessly.
As he sketched intently, the door to the Art Club slid open slowly, "Good Afternoon, Hachiouji-Senpai, I hope you are having an productive afternoon," said his fellow Art Club member, Hana Sunomiya, cousin to Naoto's former mentor and previous Art Cub President, Sana Sunomiya. The first-year girl quietly put her book bag down, opened up an easel, and placed a canvas on it, one she had been working on before of a seaside landscape. The canvas was already colored partially with oil pains depicting the summer skies by the ocean, but today, Hana planned on doing some detail work on the ocean, specifically, adding dimensions to the undulating seas.
Naoto nodded, "It has been rather quiet, but I'm enjoying the solitude, it's rare these days that I can sketch with a minimum of distractions," He said, not taking his eyes off the sketching paper. Normally Nagatoro and her friends, Gamo, Yoshi, and Sakura, would be in the club room, talking and being otherwise loud as they hung out while he sketched. However on this day, both Gamo and Nagatoro were away at a Judo Tournament in Niigata Prefecture, while Sakura went with Yoshi and her dog, Boxxu, to a dog show in Osaka for the next couple of days.
Sunomiya looked over at Senpai's artwork, and grunted in approval, "You're trying out Postmodern Cartoon Expressionism, Hachiouji-Senpai, I'm impressed. Can I ask what inspired this current exploration? I did not think you were familiar with this particular genre."
Naoto put down the charcoal stick he was using to shade in the cat's features, "I had been doing what your cousin suggested and started expanding my understanding of art across the globe, and I came across this American Artist from Miami who is known for this style of art." He passed the art book he had been perusing while he sketched, which was open to a series of photos of some whimsical murals in that city.
"These are quite whimsical, Hachiouji-Senpai, and his name is quite fascinating, how his Artistic moniker pronounced?" He took the book back and resumed the sketch of the feline character. "It's pronounced 'Lee-Bow,' Sunomiya. Interestingly, his artwork was featured prominently on that Sports Channel in America, ESPN, because of his older brother, who used his artwork to decorate the studio he did his radio show from," He turned the page to a series of caricatures featuring the show's cast in a variety of cartoonish bodies.
"I think I've seen one of these on Sana-Nee-San's laptop," She put down the sketch pencil she had and grabbed her phone from her bag, pulling up the picture of a large sticker with the caricature of an older gentleman surrounded by the English words, "You Don't Get The Show!" in a design that reminded him of the "Laughing Man'' logo from the Anime, "Ghost in the Shell." Senpai smiled, "Oh Yes, that would be his father, apparently, who was a prominent feature on his brother's show."
Hana tilted her head slightly at her Senpai, "This is not normally like you, Hachiouji-Senpai, to praise so lavishly, is there a reason why you've decided to attempt to draw in his style?" Naoto sighed, put down the charcoal again and passed her a printout of a news article. "I read this article this morning, it made me want to honor him in this manner." She read the article from the NHL website that reported his passing due to an illness he battled for the last year. She looked back at Senpai, who's eyes were laser-focused on the sketch, despite the faint traces of a tear forming at the corner of his eye.
"It's a shame we won't get to see more of his genius, though, Sunomiya-Chan," he said as he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before resuming the charcoal coloring. Hana handed back the article and resumed painting her seascape.
"I'm sorry, Hachiouji-Senpai, the loss of such a creative talent is heart-breaking for the world."
Senpai nodded and returned to the drawing, putting the finishing touches on his piece. The cat had an exaggerated head, but the features were unmistakably Nagatoro's. He smiled slightly as he cleaned up the drawing, smoothing out some of the rough patches of charcoal, blending the shades together to give off the appearance of a smooth coat of fur. "There, I hope she likes it, what do you think, Sunimoya-chan?"
Hana examined it closely, "I think that Lebo would be proud to see his work inspiring you to strive for greater talent, good work, Hachiouji-Senpai," Hana said, giving it the Sunomiya Seal of Approval, a thumb's up. Senpai chuckled at her gesture, "come on, show me what you've got going on with your seascape," He said as he put the drawing aside to set after spraying the sealant on the canvas, locking in the drawing to the fabric. The two artists would spend the remainder of the afternoon talking and drawing.
Dedicated to the Memory of David "LeBo" LeBatard…