A Tale to Tell

A Tale to Tell

1984 . Living alone in a studio apartment in St. Louis.

Nearly broke. Part-time job as a server for El Torito’s

crap-for-food, wanna-be Mexican Restaurant. Divorced,

depressed, drinking heavily.

Made a cold call at Concordia Publishing for possible

free-lance artwork. They had a project underway, a slide

film program (religious education) for children.

They needed an artist to render approximately 70 or so

full color illustrations. Had to also supply sketches

which conformed to the program’s concept and script

under the direction and approval of the program producer.

A shit-pot load of work with a two week deadline. Pay,

as I recall, in the $2000 range (not a staggering sum for

the work involved). But you know, any port in a storm.

I owed the IRS a tidy sum in back taxes, was indebted

to two lawyers for my previous divorce, had rent and

utilities to pay, needed to eat, smoke and guzzle my

booze on a daily basis. Couldn’t be a better scenario

for a starving artist movie or play.

Fed up being married, middle class, suburban home owner,

8 to5 Monday through Friday white-collar job. I was living

on the edge, an artist’s dream of a lifetime, albeit unmanage-

able and scarier than hell.

Tried to sub-contract another artist to help out, but couldn’t

find one either able or willing to assist. “What, are you crazy,

Man? That job for the money sucks! I was in over my head

and on my own.

Well folks, I won’t bore you with all that particulars, but I

did it: I survived, made the deadline, payed my bills, found

another job as an art director for a small ad agency.

I sailed along beautifully for the next four years. And then

all hell broke loose again. Which is another story to be told

another day should I have the balls or the energy to explain.

All that said, I humbly submit a sampling of artwork I

rendered for the Concordia Publishing Project way back

in the vintage year of Our Lord, 1984.

Chris Hanch 9-10-2020