Hi guys, I’m back! Today was pretty… Slow, but I did run into a new member of the article team, Talia Celestine! She’s pretty talkative and is getting along pretty well, no thought in chat pretty frequently. I decided to drag her off – I mean invite her to be interviewed, and she agreed! Here’s how it went!

“Hi, and welcome!” I announced, settling in my chair. “Glad to have you here!”

“I’m honored to be here! It’s very nice to chat with you- may I call you ‘Vin’?” Talia asked, in which I nodded. “Everyone does.” I laughed.

“So just to begin with the questions, what is the first famous piece of artwork that first comes to mind?” I smiled, leaning back.

She didn’t hesitate. “Starry Night! Oh, wait.” She let a startled pause, followed by a laugh. “Well, I typically favor Monet’s landscapes, since I find peace in the scenery he depicts. Even if he never added in the grindylows or the huffalumps that frequent those bridged areas. But, well, nobody’s perfect, right? Despite rumours about what the Ministry’s up to in the Department of Mysteries. Department of Secrets, more like. D’you know anyone who works there?”

“Oh… I don’t.” I considered. “But we can always fix that.” I gave a joking wink, then continued. “So Do you like to do art? If so, what is your favorite medium?”

“Oh, next question, I see. I suppose we’re on a timeline, yes?" I had nodded to that. "Well, then, right back into it!” Talia shrugged. “Art? Well, if you can call the carefully crafted concoctions of compositions ‘art,’ then yes! I rather enjoy writing, but ask me to draw, sing, or sculpt anything and you’re going to wish you were blind and deaf. It’s bad. Really bad. Though my shower doesn’t seem to think my ariatic shrieks are that awful.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, interesting. I do agree, the shower… well, would you prefer water color or oil paint?”

She thought for a second, deciding, “Oil painting is not for the faint of heart. Watercolor, at least, washes off; the deeds that need to get done for oil though… Some of the most gorgeous artworks have been done in oil, it’s true. But did you know where that oil comes from? The creatures they extract it from, it’s just heartbreaking. Can’t we… oil just get along.” She smiled as we might call- ‘grinch smile’, which I raised my eyebrows at. Good for her to be able to pull that off.

“Next, if you’re ready?” I asked.

She waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, yes, moving on. Just make sure to hunt through the archives of the Pettifogger, I’m sure you can find more truth there!”

“Ah, promoting your job.” I joked. “Okay, What would you wanna do an art piece on, such as a landscape, person, event?

She nodded. “Ah, great question. Landscapes are what my heart call to, but I wouldn’t be opposed to painting the use of Ukrainian Ironbellies as an airforce during the First World War. Yes, I know history says they used owls, but surely there were at least a couple dragons used. Don’t make me go hunting for more facts!

“Show and tail would have been a lot more exciting with dragons instead of owls. Booooring! They’re certainly more talon-ted!”

“Aaaahhhhh,” I put a hand to my forehead and leaned back even more. “These jokes, they’re killing me.” I giggled. “I mean, it really would be more exciting though- uh,” I looked around. “Not that the current way isn’t bad. Heheh.” I cleared my throat. “Favorite artist?”

“Hmmm, a moment to let me think, please.” Talia steeples fingers under chin, then After some prodding to get back to the conversation. “Yes, yes, let me extricate myself. It’s rather a mess up here, though I suppose most can’t see it.”

“Yes, do continue,” I leaned in, interested.

“My favorite artist is likely whoever painted Sir Cadogan’s portrait. If you can’t contribute to the creation of a Poltergeist, what a great way of adding to the chaos of the castle! Did you know Sir Cadogan was supposed to have fathered seventeen children? I wonder how many students today can trace their roots back to that wackadoodle. He must have had a couple knights off, eh?” She paused.

“If he’s not good enough for you, I suppose the lovely Luna Lovegood would be another artist for me to select. She had a whimsical way with paint and other mediums, managing to instill bits of her heart and emotions in her paintings in a thoroughly non-magical way that’s rather refreshing. Did you know she ended up being part werewolf, too- it’s hinted at in her name, Luna, see?”

“ intriguing…” I nodded intellectually. “Alright, if you could do a piece of art with a historical artist, who and what would you do?”

“I think I would rather enjoy working with van Gogh.,” she concluded, glancing around then back at me. “I would have loved to have been working with him when Paul Gauguin cut off part of his ear- oh, no, I know history has been altered in the books to make people think he did it himself, but they don’t know that Gaugin was under the influence of the Imperius Curse at the time. Of course, most didn’t know about the rivalry between Anthon van Rappard and van Gogh; those pictures they sent each other were more about one-upsmanship than friendship.”

“I um don’t know about someone cutting it off for him, but that is an interesting theory. I didn’t know anything about Van Gogh so I have learned something new.” I said with a laugh. Is there an art class at Hogwarts? “Last question, sort of a bonus- If you could graffiti anything on a Professor's classroom wall, what would it be?”

“Hehe, now we’re getting to the good questions! Wait, this is the last one?” She humphed, then considered. “Well then, I would have to say I’d put a scrub brush on the wall, complete with foaming black bubbles. Of course, this vandalism wouldn’t be complete without a spell, so a modified version of the Permanent Sticking Charm would have to be added. Good luck trying to scrub off the paint when everything you try just adds to my creation!” She let out a quiet cackle, gaining a clap from me.

“If that’s all,”she continued. “then I ask you once more- d’you know anyone who works in the Department of Mysteries? Really, I’m not picky.”

“No, I don’t,” I laughed helplessly. standing up, I said lightly, “get outta here!”

“Alright, alright, I’m leaving!”

~

Hi wizards! This was the third edition of Vin’s Victorious and I hope you enjoy it, staring a great person, Talia Celestine! Currently salmon (or imperial) and seen in chat a lot, I thought she would be a great person to contribute to this! 

Do you have an idea who should be next? Send me an owl with the subject: *insert name* Vin’s Victorious. And I'm changing it up! give me a Disney lyric in comments to get gift!

Thank you for reading and look out for more! Until then,

Vin