The Wizard of Arts

A new beginning

Once Upon a Time...

...in Havana, Cuba, lived a beautiful 14-year-old girl named Lucera Vasquez. She lived with her parents, Rosa and Jesus, and her two older sisters, 16-year-old Elena and 15-year-old Maricela. Rosa and Jesus worked in a fancy art store that her parents owned called Aventura Artística.

Lucera and her sisters loved art, and they each preferred different mediums and styles. Elena loved working with chalk or oil pastels, and she loved to make still-life pictures of whatever caught her eye. Maricela loved using calk, and she would use the technique of Claude Monet—she would draw not what she saw but the colored light that was reflected back from the object to her eyes. Lucera's favorite media were acrylic paint and canvas, and she usually loved to paint whatever went on in her head whether it's a famous landmark, movie, object, etc. It didn't matter what she painted as long as she was having fun.

Maricela and Elena attended a prestigious performing arts school called Escuela Secundaria de Artes de La Habana—or Havana Arts High School. The principal of this school saw Lucera's work in an art show when she was in the eighth grade, and he was so impressed that he was willing to accept her into Artes de La Habana.

It was August 2012, and it was the last day of summer. Tomorrow, Lucera would start going to Artes de La Habana with her sisters, and she was really looking forward to it. Today was Sunday, and Aventura Artística was usually closed on Sundays, so Rosa's parents, Pedro and Carmen, came over.

"The sunset is beautiful, isn't it?" Carmen remarked.

"It sure is, Mamá," Rosa agreed.

"I don't remember the sunset being so beautiful," Maricela gaped.

"Are you girls excited about going back to school tomorrow?" Jesus asked.

"We sure are, Papá," Elena replied. "We're even more excited about Lucera going to Artes de La Habana."

"Sí, she really deserves to go there, and she's also looking forward to the art fair on Saturday," Maricela chimed in.

"That reminds me," Pedro realized. He picked up three wrapped packages. "Abuela and I got you each a present to celebrate your sister going to Artes de La Habana."

Elena was given the package with amber paper and a red ribbon and Maricela the package with lime paper and a raspberry ribbon. The sisters opened their packages to find beautiful boxes, which each contained a beautiful heart-shaped necklace. Elena's necklace was a deep red garnet and Maricela's a magenta garnet—and the garnet was their birthstones.

"Wow, gracias," Maricela smiled.

"De nada," Pedro smiled back. "Where's your sister? We have one for her, too."

"Probably in her room, painting," Jesus surmised.

"We can take it to her," Elena said.

"Okay," Carmen said.

Lucera was upstairs in her attic bedroom, painting a picture of the sunset, and she was having a great time. Just as she finished, her sisters came up.

"Painting the sunset, mija?" Elena asked.

"Sí, it's just so beautiful, I just had to paint it," Lucera smiled. "¿Qué es eso?"

"Something from Abuelo and Abuela," Maricela replied, handing the package to Lucera.

Lucera opened the package to find a necklace just like her sisters' but in amethyst violet, and the amethyst was her birthstone. "Guau, que hermosa," she gaped, putting the necklace on.

"Are you excited about going to Artes de La Habana?" Maricela asked.

"Claro que sí," Lucera smiled.

"And we're excited to have you go there with us," Elena smiled, and the three sisters got into a group hug.