Getting the Brush Off

Mere Joyce

Description

Two years ago, sixteen-year-old Sydney Hart was kicked out of the prestigious Burke Academy when her mother could no longer afford the tuition. She lost a promising future in the arts, as well as her best friend, who didn't want to be seen with an art-academy reject. But now, without Burke's rigid structure, Sydney has found her true passion in performance painting and is busking on Halifax's boardwalk to earn enough money to go to art camp. After the police shut her down, Sydney learns her old school is hosting a "brush-off" speed-painting contest with a cash prize. Entering would mean facing her painful past, not to mention her former friend, who's also competing.

Sujets

• Arts visuels
• Architecture
• Fiction Jeunesse
• Juvenilee Fiction
• ELL
• Teaching English as a foreign language
• English as a foreign or second language
• Art
• EAL
• Electronic Sports League
• Estonian Air

Informations

• Publié par: Orca Book Publishers
• Date de parution: 14 novembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781459813595
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Getting the Brush Getting the Brush Off Off Mere Joyce Mere Joyce

Getting the Brush Off Mere Joyce

Copyright ©2017Mere Joyce

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Joyce, Mere,1988–, author Getting the brush off / Mere Joyce. (Orca limelights)

Issued in print and electronic formats. isbn 978-1-4598-1358-8 (softcover).—isbn 978-1-4598-1359-5(pdf).— isbn 978-1-4598-1360-1(epub)

I. Title. II. Series: Orca limelights ps8619.o975g48 2017jc813'.6 c2017-900870-6 c2017-900871-4

First published in the United States,2017 Library of Congress Control Number:2017933022

Summary:In this highinterest novel for teen readers, Sydney hopes to win a painting competition to pay for art camp. Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

Edited by Tanya Trafford Cover photography by iStock.com

orca book publishers www.orcabook.com 20 19 18 17 • 4 3 2 1

To Finn, for fueling my creativity and always making me smile.

One

know wa e peope passîng by on e board- I wak are înkîng. ey’re înkîng ï’m srange. ey’re înkîng ï’m wîd. ey’re înkîng,Wat on eart is se doing? hey’re oo bûsy înkîng o acûay wac me creae. ï sand în a bae oûr posîîon as ï waî or e ree beas o sîence o îck by beore e rapîd drûmbea o Wayward îdes, my avorîe Marîîme pûnk band, poûnds roûg e say aîr o e Haîax Harboûr. ï drop my arms and spîn aroûnd în îme wî e bea, grabbîng a brûs wîe ï’m sî mîd-moîon. e peope beînd me noîce e mass o snow-cone-bûe aîr pîed în a messy bûn on e

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op o my ead. hey noîce e sma gaûges în my ears, and e sîver rîng în e rîg corner o my boTom îp. hey even noîce e rîpped skînny jeans and e paîn-covered Bondîe -sîr. Bû ey don’ noîce ow my paînbrûs dîves îno my paee, or ow e paîn îes roûg e aîr as ï swoop back o ace my ease. ey don’ noîce ow e brûs sams ono e canvas, makîng do ater do o coor beore ï wîs e woe canvas sîdeways and grab a dîeren brûs o work wî a dîeren sade o paîn. hey noîce e arîs, bû ey don’ noîce e ar. Wîc îs exacy ow ï îke î. ï bob my ead as ï wîpe gray paîn on e back bandanna wrapped aroûnd my wrîs. ï dîp e brûs îno yeow paîn însead and add î o e gray. “Wa’s goîng on?” someone wîspers rom beînd me. “Jûs wac,” someone ese repîes. ï can amos ear e anîcîpaîon în eîr voîces, and ï ove î. ï ove îs.

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ï ît ûp ono my oes and do a sînge pîroû- eTe. ï peek a my growîng aûdîence as ï oad my brûs and swîpe î în a wîde arc across e canvas. he groûp o onookers sared as ony a coûpe o yoûng gîrs, bû în e space o wo mînûes î’s grown o a dozen or more cûrîoûs bysanders. Perec. More peope means more îps. Pûs, î gîves me a beTer cance o seîng e Inîsed paînîng aterward. ï rock my soûders în îme wî e mûsîc and raîse one eg îg în e aîr în an arabesqûe srec. ï grîp my exended anke wî my et and and bend a e waîs—pencé!—comîng în cose o add Ine back dos o e pîcûre ï’m creaîng. ï know wa ï wan îs paînîng o ook îke. ï knew e momen ï sared paînîng î. ï’s comîng ogeer as. Peope don’ ang aroûnd on e boardwak, wacîng someone paîn, or ong. So ï’ve earned ow o make an enîre paînîng în e space o a sînge song. Now îs one îs amos ready. Amos, bû no qûîe. ï aven’ compeed e sow ye. ï pace a as îny do on e canvas, and en ï row my paînbrûs o e groûnd as î ï’m ûrîoûs wî î. ï Lex my Ingers, raîse em above

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my ead and wîgge em în e aîr so ï know e peope wacîng me can see. hen ï brîng em down o e sma abe se ûp nex o my ease, were ï keep my sûppy o paîns. ï wase no îme dîppîng my Ingerîps îno severa dîeren bobs o bûîs coor, e paîn warmed rom e mîdsûmmer Haîax sûn. hîs îs my avorîe par. ï ît my Ingers, paîn drîppîng o my naîs. ï wîr aroûnd în a Lûrrîed doûbe ûrn beore ï pûs my ands ono e pîcûre, smearîng e paîn ûnî ï’ve go e coors jûs rîg. A coûpe o peope appaûd my dance, and one person aûgs wen ï sar ûsîng my Ingers on e canvas. Bû eîr cûrîosîy soon makes em qûîe agaîn. he boardwak aroûnd ûs îs bûsy, bû ï don’ ear e bûse over e bea o my mûsîc. ï sîde my Ingers rom e cener o e paînîng oûward o e edge and en wîpe my ands on my sîr. ï sep back rom e paînîng, akîng a ew seconds o consîder e work as ï îp-sync aong o e mûsîc and pay some beas on a se o aîr drûms. hen ï prance orward, snac ûp a Ina brûs and aTack e canvas wî sor srokes o wîe paîn.

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G E T T I N G T H E B R U S H O F F

Wen ï’m done, ï croûc îno a ow sqûa beore ï pop ûp îno e aîr, rowîng my arms and egs oû îke a sarîs. On my way back down ï grab e paînîng o îs ease. ï sîde îno a sîde spî—no easy ask în my îg jeans—and pace e canvas on e groûnd beore me. ï dîg my red îpsîck oû o my pocke, coa my îps and ean my ace rîg down o e boTom edge o e canvas. ï kîss e sî-we paîn, panîng a rîm o sîcky îpsîck în e corner. Sîgned wî a kîss. Now e paînîng’s done. ï draw my egs în and pû myse ûp jûs as e song ends. ï wîpe paîn and îpsîck rom my moû and gîve e crowd a grîn. ï pace e work back on e ease so everyone can see e Inîsed prodûc. ï akes severa seconds beore e cappîng begîns. ï aways does. he peope aroûnd me don’ know wa o expec rom my perormance, bû e preTy paînîng o wa ey can now see îs e Haîax Harboûr, wî îs gîsenîng waer, docked a sîps and gowîng sûnse, sî manages o sûrprîse em. “ï’s ovey,” a woman says, and soon e oers agree. eîr ands come ogeer o

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appaûd my perormance or reac îno eîr pockes or some spare cange. Yes! ï smîe modesy, îke ï’ve creaed îs paînîng jûs or e ûn o î and dîdn’ even know anyone was wacîng. ï jûs manage o gracîoûsy accep my Irs coîns, jangîng îno e can benea e and- paîned sîgn readîngArt by Art, wen ï ook ûp o see e bûe sûîs o wo poîce oîcers breakîng roûg e crowd. “Mîss Sydney Har?” one o em asks. “Yea, a’s me,” ï repy, gîvîng e paîr my sweees smîe. he Irs oicer gances a my paînîng, en Ixes me wî a seady ook. “here ave been some compaîns.” O, great. So mûc or my îps.

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