Mel and Kit: the morning after the night before

Melvin and Christy Framed figurative portraits in Raw or Brut style by artist Nicola McKenna

(Christy (blue hat) is up with the larks boiling the kettle, cutting lemons and spooning honey for what their record company voice coach calls ‘vocal care’)

Morning Christy.

Morning Melvin.

Today’s exhibition launch day at the Berkeley Gallery

Who all’s coming? Fat Cat?

Are you mad? Fat Cat doesn’t leave Nashville for anyone. Not even us two.

He’s mad to be missing this place! Isn’t Kilkenny the place to be of a Saturday? Last night someone came up to me and asked me for a selfie!

What’s a selfie again?

I dunno, but she -eh- took it anyway. Jaysus, she was some craic!

Blonde, was she?

(Offended, Christy pulls a face. Melvin continues) Now Christy, don’t give me that look. Give us that honey and lemon will you, I’ve a throat on me.

Too much Guinness at Matt the Miller’s last night?

Too much singing at Matt the Miller’s last night!

Quare and sowl Melvin but there’s an awful lot of ortists here.

So? We’re ort- ahem! We’re artists.

Artists me hole! We’re whistling farmers, the two of us.

We could be worse. And we’re not doing too bad in Kilkenny, sure aren’t they’re all mad for the singing. And the poetry and the plays.  

It’s a festival, Melvin. An orts festival.

Don’t say it like that, Christy. They’re not thick. Speaking of art, yer one is coming down today from Dublin. Yer one who done the paintings of us.

Thon artist one?

Yep.

Is she good-lookin’?

Stop thinking with your lad, Christy. Besides, haven’t you’ve already got one woman on the go.

Cilla? Cilla’s some girl.

She’s a good girl. A good Roslea girl. Have you been on to her lately?

(Christy shifts uncomfortably) What’ll you say to her, when she gets here?

Who, Cilla or thon Dublin one?

Thon Dublin one.

You say ‘hello’, you gam.

‘Hello you gam’.

Say that to her and she’ll rip you off the wall.

Right. I won’t call her a gam. I’ll say to her I’ll say, ‘Come in if you’re good-lookin’!

Hmm. Good title for a song, that. That reminds me, news came in during the night from Nashville.

That Nashville crowd works all hours. Would they ever just forget about contracts and charting and enjoy a Saturday night!

Like you were enjoying yourself, Christy?

Who-what-where?

And not with Cilla.

Melvin! I resent that!

If you hadn’t been ball-deep in the blondie-

Och! How’d you know?

You’ve the look on ya.

(Christy blushes deeply and Melvin continues) If you hadn’t been ball-deep in the blondie from the pub, you’d have heard. ‘From the Nest’ has only gone and charted.

Top ten Melvin?

Top five.

Top Five?! That’s great, so it is!

And with a bit more PR here, it’ll be numero uno by Friday. So says Fat Cat.

And he’d know, wouldn’t he Melvin?

He would. And he’d give us a bit of a Brucie.

A Brucie, Melvin?

A Brucie.

A Brucie, Melvin?

(Melvin sighs) A bonus, Christy. A Brucie bonus.

Who’s Brucie?

Och. Never mind.

(Christy smiles) So I’ve the look, have I?

You have Christy, and it’s not a good one.

Melvin and Christy, my Brut figurative portraits in the ‘Before They Were Famous’ series, are exhibiting in 2023’s ‘Art at The Mill Garden’ to coincide with the three Kilkenny Arts Festivals ‘AKA’ (Alternative Kilkenny Arts), TCAF (Thomastown Creative Arts Festival) and The Kilkenny Arts Festival.

The Kilkenny Art Gallery in association with The Berkeley Gallery presents a major collection of fine art and sculpture at Grennan Mill, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny R95CF62

From Sunday August 6th to 20th. Open every day 11am to 6pm

Contact grennanmillart@gmail.com Call text or Whatsapp 0862679775.

Melvin and Christy Framed figurative portraits in Raw or Brut style by artist Nicola McKenna
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