THE PAINTER

There’s this painter who lives in my neighbourhood. His name is Mr. Raymond. He is not just a good painter. He talks to his paintings like they are real people. When I walk down the street in the morning, I see him sitting down in front of his easel with it opened in the middle of the sidewalk. He has a white canvas on his easel that he will start to paint. It’s like magic to watch him bring the pictures to life. He talks to his paintings and very silly things. For example, one time I overheard him talking about his favourite brush. He said (and cheaply imitating his voice): 'Man you look so great. Is it because of your shape?' This man talks in the third person. He also says: 'Hey blue house, are you ok with your blue colour?' I even saw him picking up his paint brush and starting talking to it as if it were his real friend. He talks to the colour too! He says: 'Hey blue, is it just me or is purple going to be in this year?'

The painting is of a house that Henry lives in. Then, he started talking with his favourite paintbrush. He was asking his favourite paintbrush what colour to put on it, like the pigment had a mind of its own and could choose to leave or go somewhere else. I thought to myself that it sounded ridiculous, but it probably works for him because he can talk with his paintbrushes and invite them to do what he wants them to do. If we all had an imagination like Paintbrush Raymond, we would think this was totally normal.