the painted room

among the many ideas i have had recently
for blog entries
the painted room stands out
as one that has been most persistent
in my mind

what goes into a paint job?

first off
every room is different
i paint in a building that is
nearly 100 yrs old
so the ceilings are quite high

the measure of pleasure
i can provide for myself in the
rather mundane operation of
applying paint to a wall
is determined by clean lines
and
even distribution of paint

the ideal for me is to attain to
a completed job and have only
a minimal sense that the effort
does not attain to perfection

clean lines
clean patchwork
no drops or residue to speak of

experience with paint teaches
what is necessary for even coverage
of a surface

to paint trim with attentiveness
to careful distinction from the
wall surface is something of a craft

the more rooms i paint
the more i realize that painters
who preceded me were careless
and i take an odd delight
in bringing a smudgy corner
to a clean perfection

the satisfaction that can be enjoyed
from painting a room
is in the real awareness
that a place that had the look and feel
of aged material all grimey and tattered
now glimmers a bit in the newness
of fresh dry latex

when it comes to color i am by necessity
a minimalist

primarily i use a tinted white
and a flat white
sometimes semigloss

there are faster painters
no doubt
but i am given the luxury
of taking the time i need
to leave the room with a perfect feel

anyone who paints knows
the sublime pleasure

the tip of the brush
is the most powerful
part of the brush

to roll paint
one needs be attentive to
curved lines of paint
running off from the
edge
of the roller

for the heck of it
the other day i made an immense face
on the wall
with the roller
it stayed there for a few days
until i had to end my capricious drama
and move on to another room
to be painted into glimmering perfection

it is hard to describe
the thoughts attending
to the realization
that the job is now finished

it is a way of knowing
however