The Sound of Painting

Brrrrrmmmm. (silence) Click. Step - step - step. Click. Pop. Glug - glug - glug. Click.
[Car pulls up. Engine turns off. Man steps out and opens trunk. Grolsh beer bottle is unhinged and solvent is poured from the bottle into a smaller container. Portable stool strap is placed over shoulder and French easel is placed on ground. Mahl stick in hand, the trunk closes.]

Step - tap - step - step - tap...
[Artist walks carrying French easel in hand, using mahl stick as walking stick.]

(silence)
[Artist scans the surrounding scenery.]

(silence)
[Artist holds hands up like a movie director, cropping scene.]

Plop. Slide - pop. Slide - pop. Slide - pop. Slide - pop. Cough. Metallic twisting. Click. (silence) Scrape, scrape-scrape. (silence) Glug. (silence).
[Gear is set on ground. Portable stool legs are telescoped out. Artist coughs. French easel legs are untwisted, set out and rescrewed and the canvas lid is raised. Old paint is scraped off palette. New paint is squeezed on. Solvent is poured into palette cup. Artist studies the scene.]

(silence)
[Artist paints.]

(silence) "Woops."
[Passerbys look over shoulder. Artist drops brush.]

(silence)
[Artist paints.]

(First bars of Fur Elise by Beethoven.) "Okay, I'm just wrapping up here."
[Cell phone rings. Artist speaks.]

Swish - swish. Click. Metallic twisting. Step - step - tap - step - step - tap. Click. Plop. Click. Brrrrrmmmm.
[Brushes are rinsed in solvent. French easel is closed up. Artist walks to car and places gear in trunk. Drives away.]

(silence)



-Doug Rugh