Seizing St. Patrick’s Day as a green-and-gold opportunity, we’ll be profiling a few Irish Dribbblers over the next week.
Mark Reihill’s latest design project involved dead rabbits, time travel, and juggling.
The Dead Rabbits*: The Belfast-based designer took on a St. Patrick’s Day illustration for The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog, a Manhattan taproom channeling a long-gone New York while popping up on everyone’s Now list.
The Time Travel: The saloon’s “décor and dress pay homage to mid-19th century New York, like ‘Gangs of New York,’” Reihill told Dribbble. “I wanted my illustration to reflect this.”
The Juggling: To evoke the era, appeal to the bar’s 21st century clientele, and tend to the St. Patrick’s Day angle, Reihill celebrated the timeless aspects shared by any worthy watering hole. “I wanted to come at it from the bar’s perspective – people drinking, playing music, and having fun,” he said. His colors addressed the St. Paddy’s issue.
“I didn’t want the piece to scream ‘St. Patrick’s Day’ either,” he said. “The subtle (Irish) color palette does most of the work here.”
While we suspect many a reveler at the Dead Rabbit might be screaming “St. Patrick’s Day” come Sunday, Reihill plans to spend a quiet 17th with his wife and new son. Babies have a way of putting a stopper in the carousing, though the family might get out and enjoy Belfast’s afternoon festivities.
Reihill, originally from County Fermanagh, loves Belfast, citing its music scene; The MAC, a new music-theater-art-dance venue; and his favorite bar, The Spaniard, a cosy pub in the Cathedral Quarter, the neighborhood surrounding Belfast Cathedral.
One of Reihill’s favorite Dribbblers, Stanley Chow, designs miles from Belfast, across the Irish Sea and 40 miles inland in Manchester, England. Reihill admires Chow’s ability to transform the basic.
“His work is outstanding. So simple, graphic and visually impressive. With a few simple shapes, Stanley creates breathtaking portraits. Simplicity is the skill – there are a lot of Chow imitators out there, but he is the original and the best.”
Reihill can be found online at www.markreihill.com, markreihill.tumblr.com, and on Twitter @markreihill.
* The Dead Rabbits were an Irish gang in 19th century New York, led by pugilist, thug, and crooked statesman John Morrissey. Learn more in “Of Dutchmen and Dead Rabbits” at The Dead Rabbit’s website.
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