Made with love

Part three

Callie "Wow." Me "Really?" We're standing in my studio looking at my new piece. C "Of course really! It's...wow." Me "You said that already." I smile, C "Yeah, well I mean it. I know I'm not some big fancy art critic or anything, but this is amazing Leigh." Relief washes over me. I don't really care what critics and galleries think of my art. Money and fame have never been why I do this. It's an extension of myself. My hopes, my dreams, my fears. Creating something from nothing gives me a feeling I can't put into words.

She starts walking round my studio looking at work I've completed. C "Are you excited for the show?" Me "More nervous than excited, you know I hate being the centre of attention. Hopefully people will focus on the art and not the screwed up girl who created it." I laugh nervously and look down at my hands. Callie grabs hold of my shoulders, shaking me a little. C "Hey stop that! You deserve the attention and recognition. Your work is incredible!" She pulls me into her arms and gives me a huge hug. Callie's hugs are world famous, they have the ability to make you forget all the bad shit going on and just feel pure love.

Me "Thanks hun, you're the best." I pull back, Me "That reminds me." I walk over to my workbench and lift up a small sheet. Underneath is a 10 by 12 oil painting.  Me "This is for you, just a little something for you're new place." She holds it in her hands and stares at it for a moment. I swear there's a tear in her eye. Me "You like it?" She gently touched the canvas, caressing the yellow and gold of the sunrise painted on it. C "Oh Leigh...it's beautiful. Are you sure?" Me "I painted it after our trip to Saint Marie, it's meant to be the sunrise we watched on our last day. When I'd finished, I knew that it couldn't possibly belong to anyone else." She wrapped an arm around me and squeezed me tightly. C "I'm gonna put it on the wall opposite my bed, that way it's the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night." We separate and both wipe a tear from our eyes.

C "Mmm this is good. So what do you have planned for the rest of today?" We're sat in my kitchen eating tomato and basil bruschetta. Me "Thanks, it's the best I could come up with, with what I'd got in. I really need to get some groceries and I've got to go to the junkyard to see what they've got in. There's a new metalwork piece I want to get started on, while it's still fresh in my mind." She takes a drink of her diet coke and laughs. C "You never cease to amaze me. You've only just finished one sculpture and now you're starting another. I don't know how you do it." I laugh and clear away our plates.

I started out as a painter, oils mainly. But as time went on I started seeing things better suited to three dimensions. I never had much success with wood or clay, but metalwork made my ideas come to life. I still paint all the time, in fact my show will be a mixture of the two. The method I use depends on the image in my head and whatever I feel suits it best.

I pull into Sal's Junkyard just after 2pm. I've been coming here regularly for  about 18 months and gotten to know Sal and his boys really well. Sal sees me park up and gives me a wave. Sal "Back again so soon chica! You're here almost as much as me." Me "I know, I love this place, what can I say?" He stands up laughing and gives me a quick hug. Salvador Rios is a fifty something year old Latino guy with a pudgy stomach and thinning hair. He runs the junkyard with his sons Sal Jr, Mateo and Vicente. Sal Sr is a total sweetheart and always saves me anything unusual he finds.

I have a quick rummage in Sal's workshop and find the bits he's saved for me, he really knows my style. Sal Jr walks in as I'm collecting everything up. SJ "Hola Leigh!" He gives me a huge smile. Me "Hi Junior." SJ "You're here so often, a guy might think you're here just to see him." He laughs, but I know he's half serious. Junior's been casually hitting on me for months, but I've always said no. He's a really great guy, but I don't see him in that way. Besides, I'm just not looking for any more drama in my life right now. Me "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm here purely for what your dad gives me." We both laugh and the atmosphere lightens immediately. After chatting with him for a few minutes, I head outside to look for more parts...just as a motorcycle pulls into the yard.