Puppeteer: A new Venture in Paint Application

2 X's Beer...

When I used to create oil paintings in the kitchen I made quite the mess; my college teacher said I was more of a 'turpentine painter' than true oil. (Could ya please give back the stolen painting?!) I agree with that comment...I would splash, splat, dribble it on until I had a mess running down my elbows in rivers and virtually staining up the old linoleum floor. I didn't even realize it until hours later, 3a.m. or so... But who cares-- I was creating ART!

Today, Brig and Paula and I went out into the Flint Hills in our old swimsuits to paint a corral. I had no idea what to expect other than I was pretty sure it wouldn't be water-soluble paint. I was correct in my assumption, but not in the manner of application! In my mind I perceived old wood board and time-consuming paint brushes or a sprayer that I wouldn't understand how to use.

Well, here's a new one! Sock painting. How amusing! The corral was round pipe, about 1 1/2", and spread all over the place to the south of the coolest rock barn ever! First a rubber glove is placed on your hand, followed by an old sock, which is then dipped into a gallon of either white or black high dollar paint! Grab the pipe in your fist and rub it on thickly.
This made me smirk for quite a while-- how weird, and when my hand started sweating inside the large rubber glove, I wondered if that was what a condom felt like on a guy. (Sorry!)

In reality the sock stretches out and gets all sloppy so you may have paint splatting through the air. I was warned that I would get covered with drips, but I was actually neater painting outdoors than in my own house. I had black, so maybe I was just envisioning my body looking mulatto for my daughter's wedding (in case it wouldn't come off) or the fact that I didn't want to mar up the lovely KS limestone fence posts the black railings were attached to.
(Brief stop while I say hello to the Fugitive. At 10:08, he is a minute late. Oops. Crapola! Not the same raccoon!)

While painting, I passed the time with mindless scenarios...what would my daughter think of this new painting style?! I am almost sure we would turn these gloppy socks into some type of funky being:
Who is my right hand? Buckwheat from the Lil Rascals? Aunt Jemima? Is that too racial--after all I was becoming quite black by this time...the Black Mamba? He he! Maybe I'm just a Shadow Puppet. And who would she be? Casper the Friendly Ghost?

Aahh. Sadly, her and Nate used to send each other funny little stories and scenarios they'd invent while people-watching--her in the US and him in Ireland for a few months. Hilarious. Glad they are together and soon to be married. Maybe we should all publish a book of weird adventures....

So, Who would your sock puppet/brush be?

(We painted an old dresser with tomato red later... but socks were NOT part of that process! Thank you Barry, it was a lot of fun!)