Going Green

 

This is the time of the year when everything turns green and people start thinking about…St Patrick’s Day.

You thought I was going to say spring, but no, that’s ages away, first we have to celebrate the wearin’ of the Green.

I’ve mentioned I used to run a theater troop, well murder mystery troop, doing murder mystery plays on-site for anyone with the money to pay for them.

Yes, that was a big deal. You’d be surprised how many people want you to give away your product because they have a bigger/better/brighter business. I had an offer from a ski resort in Colorado which wanted me to fly my troop there, spend five days and stage a whole weekend murder mystery event. They didn’t think they should pay, cause after all we were getting to spend time at their resort!

Even actors want to get paid. It happens so seldom that when they get a chance to get paid they can become quiet indignant if you try to stiff them. Oh and the airline folks, they just won’t let you board if you haven’t paid and this was before the Homeland Security SS started manning the airports.

So no I didn’t get to see the wonderful resort at…I won’t name names but it had to do with fire and wheels, you work it out.

So aside from herding actors, writing a coherent play, directing actors, stirring up publicity, scrounging props and paying the light bill I had to deal with clients. If ever you wonder why those folks in Hollyweird get paid so much, try working with demanding, impatient, whiney clients for a while. Yeah, it was a good thing when I stopped.

But doing a murder mystery show is a very seasonal thing. You have to be aware what the next holiday is so that you can have a show up and running for it with the correct theme. Halloween doesn’t work for St Paddy’s, you know.

And the same if true of art, you have to be aware of what your clients are looking for if you are going to take advantage of the natural tie-in with the holidays.

On the east coast where almost all of the civil workers have some ethnic connection, St Paddy’s is bigger than Christmas. There isn’t a soul who’ll admit to being British or refuse to wave the Green. Out here, there isn’t so much dedication, but you’ll find pockets of folks who miss the big St Paddy’s celebrations and want a bit of the Old Sod for their green beer drinking.

And you should see that they get it.

I heard that groan. Look St Paddy’s day isn’t all Leprechauns and green beer, Ireland and the Irish have seeped into all of our culture, just take a look and you’ll find a Finn.

Take for instance John Ford’s brilliant and lyrical The Quiet Man. John Wayne never looked as heroic nor as well suited to be a romantic leading man and Maureen O’Hara, (Why was she always so mad?), plays The Girl to a T and not a lad in the audience who wouldn’t play patty-fingers in the Holy Water for a touch of her hand. Victor McLaglen was one of the few actors who could stand toe to toe with Big John and not look like a patsy. And the whole Irish Mafia in supporting roles make this film a classic by any standard.

So why do you care? One of the central elements of the film is the White of Morn, an idealized Irish cottage, just the sort of thing for a painter to set his or her brushes to this month. Then there are the horses, the pub scenes and the big fight and you can spend a lot of days just doing Quiet Man themes.

But why would you? Well there are a lot more living rooms in need of an Irish themed painting than there are suited for Iris or Sunflowers.

Did you know that the Titanic and her sister the equally ill-fated Olympic were built and launched in, that’s right, Ireland.

There’s this little show coming up in a quick hurry, let me see, oh yes, the Maritime Show. Now would that be a good place for a painting, photograph, sculpture of one of these giant ships? Right, no photographs, anyone know the way to the Ghetto?

Hint* I like those fine line drawings that show up in the Maritime show, nothing like a colored pencil sketch for getting all of the majesty of a big liner right.

Oregon is the home of so many micro-brews it is hard to keep up without a scorecard, but the one commercial brewing company which never has to worry about the competition is…Guinness! Irish again, but who’s counting?

Those hand-blown bottles and dark brew make for wonderful still life images. And there are hundreds of people who want a still-life for the kitchen. Even a lowly glass, not the proper, correct and right pub glass, can become a wonderful subject if it is filled with Guinness.

And okay, you could do a Leprechaun or two. Yeah I know they are trite, but you’re an artist so you can re-imagine them in a way that makes them less Lucky Charms and more Fine Art.

You know Hollyweird has made a good living off the Little People. Darby O’Gill and the Little People gave us both the traditional Leprechaun and the biggest Bond of them all, Sean Connery, now you just can’t beat that.

Mr. Fantastic, no not the Marvel comic book, Fred Astaire, the original Mr. Fantastic made Finian’s Rainbow something to smile about even if you can’t bring yourself to admit you enjoyed watching it.

Fred was kind of a very tall Leprechaun, so maybe you could do a tribute to Mr. Astaire?

The opportunities are there if only you go and look for them. Now what did I tell you six months ago? That’s right, you should be thinking about Halloween and Thanksgiving, cause the time-frame for them is right now and you’ve kinda missed St Paddy’s day, but that won’t let you off the hook for next year.

Tell you what, I have the Irish Rovers on disc, copied from my dusty-trusty ole LP and could let you give a listen or better still, draw a Guinness, fill up your best briar and move a little closer to the fire and I’ll put on Glen Yarborough and the fabulous Limeliters and we’ll listen to Darlin’ Sportin’ Jenny or talk a little treason and sing By the Risin’ O’ the Moon.