I was working on a mural and thought.....What a life these paints have had. I must have had 12 canss open and was blending colors. A few cans were half gone and skinned over a few times , they have been with me a while and have seen alot, a few colors were brand new cans, makes you wonder what a can thinks? what does it say at the end of a day? does it look at paint job and say "wow, I did that!" I wonder....
... aah a brand new can, the lid goes 'pop' as you lift it off and the paint looks so happy sitting there not a drop on the rim the edge of the lid is clean as a whistle, completely undisturbed... then the old popsicle stick goes in 'splat' paint on the rim, all down the side, its a disaster! a stirring frenzy insues, then the paint recovers, "its ok at least he didnt mix us with... oh noooo!" the brush with the yellow paint comes down and plops right down into the process blue leaving a little green drizzle on top "aaaah!.... it ok, its o-k we will be fine" the brush goes to the pallette... "hey, being green is not so bad... wait wheres he going?!? no not the white!!!! NOT THE WHITE!! the now kelley green brush plops down it to the pristine, pure, virgin white... "AAAARRGGHH!!! I dont know if she will recover, shes got green all over the top, looks like a emerald oil slick! then the popsicle stick goes in again, a qucik stir and ... "whew, she looks good, she is still white as snow, no damage. but wait! what is he doing with that popsicle stick? it has yellow all over it! looks like hes going back at the white!!! oooh! A big blob of white gets dumped into a small mixing cup, ooooh nooo! hes going in again! two tramatic dips! she has yellow all over, shes doomed to be biege" the lid goes on the white... "she is safe now" just then the yellow gets knocked over, dumping much of it on the workbench... let us stop for a moment of rememberance....
"he was a good can, he will be truly missed, we gather here today to pay respects to chrome yellow, he meant so much to us all, he was known to help any can when they needed him, Red, just last week he was working with you to make a beautiful orange... and imatation gold, he was always there when you needed better coverage, and green when you need to add some brightness, he was there... and blue, you where there with him in his final moments, working together with white on a teal project. rest in peace old chrome boy" the lids go back on the cans and thet get packed away back in the cabinet, until the next time they are called on to make art or letters or just a stripe..when one of them will have to put their life on the line again just like old yeller did today. Posted by KARYN BUSH (Member # 1948) on :
2 questions fer ya.....1..whatcha smokin? and 2...can i have some? Posted by Barry Branscum (Member # 445) on :
your mind does have time to wonder...while your paintin'...and sniffin' thinner....as Ken's post illustrates!!! Posted by John Lennig (Member # 2455) on :
Ken, I enjoyed your musings on "A day in the Life of One-Shot",(also known as "Stand awhile on My palette")
I believe that you have helped us to realize that "There's more than one way to Skin a Can".
Your in Paint, i am,
John
Posted by Steve Shortreed (Member # 436) on :
That brought back lots of nice memories. Thanks Ken.
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
Bowers is gonna Pyss his pante when he reads this
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
All my cans of One-Shot have different voices as well. The pastelley colors have nice soft voices. Red and oranges are all loud and sometimes hurt my ears. The blues have voices like opera singers. I could go into more detail about each individual color, but that would take forever. Besides, metallic gold is calling me to come and stir him up with a little turps. He's so dry.
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Yes, Boone, I did...
Now where's that airbrush that needs cleaning?
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
Excuse me Mr. Boone and Mr. Bowers this is not a laughing matter, A great color has passed on here, this is Chrome yellow not some flash in the pan, pearl green.... we are talking about a primary color here! This is a great loss and some of us will sorely miss him. It's too bad that some people here dont see the tragedy. Bruce, hasn't chrome yellow helped you out many times, even if it was just a few drops in the gold size? didn't anybody cry when old yeller died?
[ September 11, 2005, 01:42 AM: Message edited by: captain ken ]
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
I can identify Cap'n. . . I 'talk' to my brushes and tools . . . but I had not thought of the paints . . .
How negelected they must feel.
I notice you apply gender to certain colours . . . I do that with tools and stuff too . . .
In case ya'll did'n know . . . .
Craziness is just a widely accepted form of insanity . . .
And while some may think all this is insane, imagine what your tools and stuff think of you!
Don't lie! The only time you talk to them is when they don't work right and they get cussed out! Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
There's way too many solvent fumes being inhaled, out there, chillun!
And I love every minute of it!
Takes me back to the days when I used to keep a small cup of Penetrol next to me when I was lettering. We used to use those little clear plastic throw-away punch cups for working out of, and it did kinda look like a shot of whisky. Many folks used to razz us about drinking on the job, so I just used to call my Penetrol "Jack". Had to go along with it.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
The Silence of Paint
No whirring of wheels nor the harse, tearing sound of application tape nor the bitter cruching sounds of paper thrown seemingly endlessly in barrels. Not to man handle or argue with, ever wondering why the senses are flooded with clutter as much as the anooying parts of things that stick to your fingers, uneeded and unwanted. The sharp, heavy tapping of a keyboard forming a mechanical exactness...an absolute.
To lightly drag a pencil across a surface, leaving so faint a mark as to only see a wisp of line, a simple guide, free of the limitaions of machinery. The founding moments of a thought...an idea...a moment of creativity spent.
The slender strokes of a quill forming imperfections that combine, outstripping the need for conformoty to those around you who so do as we, yet know not the image of which we percieve. The graceful steps of the outline as it dances twixt the shapes, sometimes touching another color, ever so slightly as to nearly merge. To dance the night with a small piece of freedom, creativity and sometimes reckless abandon, leaving behind an image...a part of yourself hidden within...and with it, a bit of the soul.
Unique as the soul it sprang from....
Rapid
Posted by mark zilliox (Member # 3873) on :
Cap-i-ton Ken good to see your name,so like you i was wondering if 1-shot & HBO was planning on making a movie on this sign painters saga...." Silence of the Cans !" hmmmmmm take care MZ
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
Ken.. I dont like chrome yellow.. never did.. talk about a slacker only one worse is lemon they beg for attention by deliberately not covering... and being otherwise unruly HAYYYYYYYYY..LOOKIT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I DONT COVER WORTH A SCHYT.... IM SPECIAL.... Its just another lost soul lookin fer special treatment... and yellows are just like the trouble we have in the world these days... Nobody is responsible for their own actions.. I think yellow should be made illegal... Im gonna write to every politicain I know and git the ball rollin And Im gonna poison all my yellow with Rapid Remover..Sodus will become yellowless RIP...ya bums!!!!!!!!!! and yes I cried when Old Yeller died....but the truth be known...the dog prolly bit everyone on stage and whizzed all over where he shouldnta....I bet he was a "doghouse" alcoholic who couldnt stand the pressures of the acting world...so they wrote him out.. coincidentally,makin for a hit movie... I wonder if he made 10-15 million...or dont they pay dogs that much prolly lost it all in "litter support"
Posted by Peter Schuttinga (Member # 2821) on :
Ode to yellow (in three point harmony)
Yellow, Chrome yellow where is that chrome little fellow?
if you tend to hollar and bellow, relax, and think only mellow yellow
green with envy it is hard to be, we'd be singing the blues without little old thee
yellow, the colour of a cowards gut, yellow, the colour of my golden mut
blue and red are your primary friends, secondaries are your favourite blends
you dont hide and you dont cover, making you a two coat lover
we'll miss you greatly, 'cause without thee, I'd be sprinkling clear when I go peee. Posted by Rod Tickle (Member # 575) on :
I see a bob parsons cartoon happening.
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
I just got off the phone with old Chrome boy's wife Primrose. She sends her thanks for the outpouring of support and the beautiful flowers that have been sent. There will be a memorial service at sunflower gardens, scheduled for September 17th at 10:00am and a second coat at 12 noon. His best friend Proper Purple will be delivering the eulogy, and a special rendition of Peter's "Ode to Yellow" will be preformed by the Reflex Blue Revival. Those that aren't able to attend are encouraged to sent donations to the American RED Cross.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
I just heard from Kelly Green. She won't be able to make the funeral...she'll be in Kansas City Teal for the weekend.
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
I just received an email from Metallic Gold, and even though he has been banned from posting on this site and has had his lid left off for many months,he is feeling better and is going to try to make the ceremony. Also as a tribute the leaves on the trees in Bartlett N.H. have decided to change there color for 3 weeks in memoriam and the moon has agreed to take on a pearlesant Chrome yellow tint for 10 full nights. Orange and Lemon yellow have agreed to provide grief counsiling for the family and friends immediately after the ceremony.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
the funeral music began something like this:
I'm just mad about Saffron, Saffron's mad about me... I'm just mad about Saffron, She's just mad about me: They call me Mellow Yellow (quite rightly) They call me Mellow Yellow (quite rightly)!
(Peter, that's great!)(Ken, too!)
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
Most bereaved colours will wear a coat of lettering black for the funeral . . .
Posted by bill riedel (Member # 607) on :
All of which only proves that we all must be a little crazy to be in this business. I like Rapid Ray's discription the best.
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
Yeah, what Karen said!
Posted by William DeBekker (Member # 3848) on :
You forgot about the senseless distruction of his or hers lips when you take a screwdriver and shove it through their lip so the paint can dribble back in with its brethern.
The new cans find this cool as they can tell everyone else their a Punk Rock can and had their lips peirced.
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
I dont let my cans get pierced til they get older.
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
Wouldn't that be the American "Bright" Red Cross Ken?
Posted by ROLAND PINAN (Member # 2724) on :
Hey Ray your first post man.DEAD ON HOW TRUE,HOW TRUE
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
just bringing up old posts, seems like a trend these days.... I still miss old yeller, and in more rescent days silver has gone through some tough times
[ July 19, 2006, 02:58 PM: Message edited by: captain ken ]
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
There once was a can of chrome yellow knocked over by an careless Ken fellow he made a big mess, spilled some on his dress so he smoked a joint and got mellow.
There once was a Captain named Ken who dipped a popcicle stick right in to his new can of yellow He was a dumb fellow and the jokes he took right on the chin.
There once was a Letterville man That went by the name Captain Ken He postponed making signs Having such a good time sayingI've got too much time on my hands!
Posted by captain ken (Member # 742) on :
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