Debbie Hairy"

Oil on canvas - 24" x 24"

For over 20 years we have had a sit down dinner party to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The menu is carved in stone: corned beef roasted with sherry, dry mustard and brown sugar, butter-drenched cabbage, beef braised in Guinness, poached salmon with dill cream, Irish soda bread, champ, and Irish whiskey cake. Each year there is a patron saint. Past years have included St. Patrick Stewart, St. Patrick Macnee, St. Patrick Swayze and St. Patrick Henry ("Give me corned beef or give me death") to name a few. When we started running out of Patricks we started adding Pattys; St. Patty Duke, St. Patsy Cline, St. Patty Hearst and, this year, St. Patti Smith (because the night belongs to corned beef lovers). Though not officially a costume party, our guests usually get in the spirit. St. Patsy Cline brought out everyone's urban cowboy, St. Patty Hearst saw everyone in green berets. You get the picture. So we weren't too surprised this year when two of our guests came in drag as Debbie Harry and Tina Turner. We also had a very convincing Patti Smith, complete with copious amount of spirit-gummed crepe arm pit hair and doves on her fingers. OK, you had to be there. I was channeling my inner Andy Warhol when painting this rendition of my friend, Bruce.