Still Life Paintings [Kindle Edition]

Karen Fowler (Author)

Book Description

Still Life Paintings is a collection of three short stories, thematically linked by painting. This collection is 10,000 words in length and contains bonus material in the form of an an essay excerpt from the book Reflections on Motherhood as well.

In the first story, Abstract Remembrances, a young mother has a mental breakdown after a tragic event. She paints the same image day after day only she can't actually "see" the image she repeatedly paints. Will art therapy be her salvation, or her final undoing?

In the second story, Different Strokes, a harried mother tries to teach her children a lesson in individuality and tolerance by introducing them to Art History Masters and the different methods of painter each used. In the end, she teaches her self an important lesson as well.

In the third story, Still Life Paintings, a woman is forced to attend a gallery premiere spotlighting her ex-boyfriend. The painful business event takes an abrupt turn, as she sees that each canvas holds a message just for her. In the end, she must read the paintings as a whole and decide what the message means for her future.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

They say that a painter leaves a bit of his soul behind with each painting, but what happens when a painting gives you back the part of yourself that's been missing? In the story Abstract Remembrances, Annie finds out that she'd lost a part of herself for a reason.

But in Still Life Painting, the story, Sari finds a glittering jewel buried within the canvases on the wall, and more than a part of herself, she finds her future.

The last story, Different Strokes, can be summed up with a fitting quote:

"Painting is an attempt to come to terms with life. There are as many solutions as there are human beings." ~ George Tooker

About the Author

Karen Fowler lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her husband, two children and their Maltese Bella. She spends most of her free time (what little there is) reading, writing and capturing moments with her trusty Canon.

Product Details

• File Size: 126 KB
• Print Length: 29 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Quirky Gurl Media (July 9, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005BZL3AK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #763,470 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a Reading Good Books review. August 13, 2011

By Catrina T.

Format:Kindle Edition

I would've given it five stars if not for the errors I spotted. But I'll get to that later.

This book contains three short stories ranging from romance to tragedy. Except for the first one, this has a very "feel good" tone to it. Abstract Remembrances is about a mother confined in a mental institution. Everyday, she paints a portrait of her young son. Something tragic happened in her life and could art therapy help her recover? This story was heavy. It was just so sad. It had quite a few typos and grammar errors but those aside, it's a very good piece.

Different Strokes is a cute one. A mother introduces Art History to her two young children to calm them down and teach them lessons in life. I am pretty familiar with the different schools and movements in art so I really got into this. And the image of the kids working on their projects... so cute!

The third story shares the name of this whole collection. Still-Life Paintings is about a scorned woman forced to attend her ex-boyfriend's gallery show. And in his paintings, she realizes that there was more that meets the eye. It has all the makings of a romantic comedy, methinks. The ending literally made me go "awww...."

Okay, before I wrap this up, I just have to address the errors. They can be easily corrected with another read-through by the author/editor so it wouldn't be so hard. I find it ironic that this is an art-centric collection and the author gets Salvador Dali's name wrong. Dali, not Dahli. Also, loose/lose and everybody's favorite your/you're. Again, no biggie so I hope this can be cleaned up.

Rating: 4/5.

Recommendation: It's 27 pages on the nook so it won't take too much of your time. These are really good short stories. You'll enjoy them more if you like art.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Rollercoaster August 7, 2011

By Jill Bemis

Format:Kindle Edition

Three very short stories invoke a powerful reaction to tales of love.

***

The extreme pain and psychological affect on Kady when her child is killed in an accident is expressed through painting in "Abstract Remembrances" The graphic ending to this very short story may upset some readers.

Painting the same scene together in the short story "Different Strokes" opens up communications and teaches a mother an importance lesson as they celebrate similarities and differences of artists and paintings.

In "Still Life Paintings," a series of paintings about an extremely volatile split and emotional rollercoaster is completed by Jared and displayed in the gallery where his ex-finance must attend the opening and face the truth about their relationship.

Author Karen Fowler uses words to invoke an emotional response as she verbally paints the joys and anguish that love brings. Each story is well organized and action flows quickly to the climax. The short stories are only a few pages in length. Adding a blank line between paragraphs would visually enhance the appearance and encourage the reader to slow down and assimilate what they are reading, rather than race to the end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars art touches July 18, 2011

By R. Laney

Format:Kindle Edition

Its a good collection of really short stories on art. Three of st
ories touched me deeply. The Mother who son dies and she paints the same picture every day but doesn't know what the picture is about. Mother who is tired of dealing with her kids fighting takes the time to teach her kids a lesson about art and paints with them and learning a lesson at same time. The painter that shows how he has grown and realizes how much he loves his old girl friend.
She told different stories dealing with art and made me look at art a little different. The stories got thier message across to me. I was given the ebook in exchange for honest review.

More About the Author

An avid reader, I believe we have much to learn about the world, and ourselves, through explorations of the written word. Books are the threads of timeless human connection, and I strive, at least in some small way, to touch others through my writing.

Okay, enough of the heavy stuff. Let's get a little personal. I have worn many hats through my thirty-some years of living (and yes, that's as specific on my age as I'll get!) from C.N.A, to Animal ER Nurse, then from Accountant to a Graphic Designer, and now I've got a nice little vocation going as a photographer ( see www.karenfowlerphotography.com) - but the one thing I've always been is a writer. Blogs, essays, articles, poems, short stories- you name it, and I've been compelled to write it, or type it as the case may be.

On a more personal note, I've lived on the Eastern Shore of Virginia for most of my life, though I did spend the first six years of my married life as transplant to my husband's hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina. And yes, I did come back with a southern accent! And two tow-headed babies, but I digress.

For fun, I'll give you a few little known facts about me before returning to our regularly scheduled programming!

1. As a teen, I rode horses and showed competitively. My horse was an Arabian named Clyde (as in Clyde the camel) and he had an addiction to Starlight mints (the red and white minty things) and cherry lifesavers.

2. My sister calls me a vampire, and not because I'll read anything with fangs in it. I normally stay up half the night, despite having to get up at the same time in the morning as regular people. Hence why I'm not usually in the mood to talk to anyone until I've at been up at least two hours.

3. I'm clumsy. I spent at least one chunk of time every year through middle and high school on crutches or wearing a cast.

4. I have an absurdly weird fear of crickets. Seriously. And me children delight in chasing me around with their crispy carcasses.

That's enough for now... Perhaps I'll share more later!