Waking Up Picasso

Waking Up Picasso

There is so much vocabulary involved

some people spend a lifetime on it-

I just woke up Picasso

from my two month coma

since then I’ve rarely put down a brush:

round brush

flat brush

mop brush

fan brush

or stopped to think if it’s a good idea

painting everything in my house

walls, of course-

fill with landscapes and portraits

I listen to music to set the tone

and the rhythm

much has been written about color theory

from cobalt blue to alizarin crimson-

there’s a bright, bright yellow too,

I can’t remember the name

black and white can’t be made

by mixing other colors:

add white and you lighten,

black and you darken

though many artists don’t use black at all

fabric can be painted on-

curtains, chairs, pillowcases-

tight is bright

loose weaves let the paint seep through,

reduce the intensity of colors

wrinkles wreak havoc with a design

but that can be interesting too.

when painting on wood-

tables, bookcases, window facings-

I use an acrylic polymer

containing at least 40% water

to raise and swell the wood grain

flaws create mystery,

how they melt into the pattern

paint will peel from metal-

appliances, magnet boards, steel doors-

the more layers you apply

and scratch away

it becomes an old billboard shedding its paper,

showing all the bits beneath.

glass enamel is best for glass

but requires firing in a kiln.

transparent acrylics will get you there

without the fire-

windows, mirrors, glass cabinet doors.

the carpet presents a challenge

till I decide to drip and drop

like Jackson Pollock,

smearing and spattering,

shaking glossy oils right off my hand

I ‘m in the toilet

when I suddenly notice

the smooth white surface

of the bathtub,

surely the purest canvas in my house

I call the paint store

and ask the girl

what do you use to paint on porcelain?

she didn’t know but would call me back

the silver faucets will do okay

but I picture a green whirlpool

circling the drain

you have to make a paste

she said

when she rang back

mix the fine pigments with mineral oil,

but first apply a medium

consisting of copaiba,

lavender and clove oils

to make it dry quickly and keep

its lightfastness

but by then I'm on to other rooms,

other walls,

other floors,

other materials-

plastic

copper

plexiglass

cork

chasing an image around the room

humming, drumming

or rattling out rhymes

that only seem to annoy people