strokes of genius

on learning to paint from my dad

My parents hired a professional painter once.

Only once.

The work was terrible.

Ever since then, my dad has done the painting.

Every two years he paints the house.

He always seems to be in one room or another.

Nothing looks cleaner than a fresh coat of paints.

Nope,

My parents have never hired professional painters because my mom has had my dad working for him.

That mom of mine?

She shure has an eye for detail.

She appreciates flawless work.

And she doesn’t seem to tolerate anything that is off from that.

With a manager with such high standards, my father has become an exceptionally good painter.

Most of what I know about painting I’ve learned from him.

He always works with a wet cloth.

Whether he’s calking around trim or painting baseboards, he always has a wet cloth.

You don’t need to be percise, be careful but not so careful that it slows you down. Have a wet cloth to compensate for the mistakes you make when you’re being careful and working quickly.

Rolling out six panel masonite doors, I had m…