Busy people on the train

sometimes I sit here and think and sometimes I just sit

Tribute to a 'sound and vision' man

Shortly after I had finished college I was looking for any opportunity to get some art work on walls anywhere. At the time I made the acquaintance of the Manager of a restaurant on Dame st in Dublin. He was an all round decent guy and appreciated art. He gave me permission to hang work for sale in the establishment, which i could change from time to time. He personally bought a few pieces of my work. 

 Signs on as time waits for no man and the restaurant changed hands a new manager was brought in with whom I also negotiated wall space. The relationship was a courteous functional one with no love lost on either side she didn't really know why i wanted to hang pictures in the place at all. 

 Around this time it came to my knowledge that Bowie was due to play in Dublin and was staying in the U2 owned Clarence Hotel. During a conversation with two friends and beer, an Idea struck me. The most recent painting I had hung on the walls of the restaurant was a portrait of the thin white duke himself. In all bravado and naivety I determined to inform Bowie of the paintings whereabouts and existence (the impudence!). Setting pen to paper I wrote a note addressed to Mr Bowie, got on the next bus into town and beat a purposeful path to the Clarence Hotel. the concierge was naturally polite but icy and would neither confirm nor deny if a Mr B was currently shacked up in the Hotel. I politely requested that if a certain Mr B happened to be staying there, could this note make its way to him? the concierge politely accepted the note and grinned. 

 I heard nothing of it and tried my damnedest to think nothing of it for the next few days but secretly hoped against hope that something might come of it. At the end of two weeks of hearing nothing, dejected, I felt it was time to take the painting down and possibly replace it with something, or possibly not. I entered the restaurant, approached sour puss and told her I was taking back the painting. She proceeded to tell me very animatedly " aw jaysus you will never guess who we had in here the other day, only David Bowie's wife Iman we were all soooooo excited it was mad altogether!!!,....oh yea I forgot ...you have a painting here of David Bowie...." 

 from one of a billion Bowie fans I raise my glass to you may you rest in piece..

'Bowie' Palette knife, oil paint on denim (cause it's cheaper than canvas;-)) 
Part of a series the rest of which can be seen by clicking the link below
http://conorcoady.blogspot.de/search/label/Portraiture