Tim,
Your breadth of knowledge never ceases to amaze me. You could have responded directly to G.G., and informed him that the abstract epressionistic painting technique which he described in reply #6, was actually invented many moons ago by Jackson Pollack (action painting).
I'd like to see what kind of patterns would result if he tried firing a canister loaded with paint filled grapeshot.
I think there would be a big hole in the canvas where the canister went through. 
George,
The canister won't be made of tin or iron sheet like the real deal, it'll be a cardboard container, and ths support isn't canvas, it's aluminum sheet. Seriously, if this latter day Rembrant could just improve his aim a little, I think this method could produce some splendid results.