Lone Palm Foundation has partnered with Sidney Strong and the SFC Charitable Foundation to offer Parrot Heads a chance at exclusive, one-of-a-kind watercolor paintings based on the unique backdrops developed for Jimmy Buffett’s tours by his scenographer, Sidney Strong. Those backdrops no longer exist. These paintings were done by Michael Ireland will be auctioned off at this year’s Meeting of the Minds in Key West, Florida.
A special preview party will be held Wednesday, October 30 in the new HMF Sidecar lounge at the Casa Marina from 4 – 6 p.m. Innovative cocktails available for purchase while viewing these rare collectible items. For this event all attendees will get a 25% discount off their bar tab in the HMF Sidecar.
Live music will be provided by John Frinzi and Aaron Scherz. This is a public event prior to PHiP’s Meeting of the Minds, so no credentials will be required to enter the Casa. To attend the the auction on Saturday, November 2, you will need to be registered for Meeting of the Minds and have credentials. Note that you also must be a member of a Parrot Head club to register for MOTM
The process for building the backdrops that the paintings are based on was pretty involved. Strong, who was in charge of that process, told us how it all came together.
It all starts with Jimmy. When we got together, we first talked about fishing and then we would discuss what we were doing next year for a show.
95% of the time he had a vision on what we should do. The other 5% he would say, “What do ya got?” My ass was on the line, but somehow it worked out.
After discussing the direction, I would put a 1/4 inch square model together so that the sound crew, lighting crew, band technicians, and the rest of the staff would have idea of cable lengths, entrances, exits, and positions of all of the equipment.
I would take the model and design the lighting positions so I could create a lighting plot. Then, I would sit down with Michael and he would draw the model and then paint with watercolor the rendering of the design. This was basically for the management so they could show others they ideas behind the next year’s tour.
For the various back drops and Kabuki drops, we tried to tie them all in to the general theme. Kabuki drops, also known as stage reveals, would hang on the downstage edge of the stage and then, with a technical device, release the drop. Stage hands would pull the drop off stage.
We used this effect many times and it was a great way to start the show. The art work on the Kabuki drops were based on discussions we had after the renderings were made.
The backdrops were all hand painted by Superior Backings in Los Angeles. We had many arguments on the color of the oceans, especially how to light them.
This is a must attend event for the serious collector desiring a piece of Jimmy Buffett and Parrot Head history. Please note there will be a reserve minimum bid on these priceless paintings. Proceeds will benefit the Parrot Head Emergency PHUND and Conch Auxiliary Radio Emergency Services (CARES).
The auction will follow the Lone Palm Foundation LIVE Auction of autographed Jimmy Buffett memorabilia and more, Saturday, November 2, 2019, starting at 11 a.m. at the Casa Marina in Key West.
Remember, you must be registered for PHiP’s Meeting of the Minds to attend the Lone Palm auction in the Casa Marina ballroom that Saturday as credentials are required.
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Photos provided by Sidney Strong