Andy Hansen was out and about on Friday when he spotted Larry Green ice-fishing. The scene caught his eye, so he snapped a few photos.
“I love the mix of art and nature,” Hansen said. He wasn’t sure if his photos counted as art, but after playing around with them a bit, he picked the best two.
Great art often comes from play. When Hansen looked at his picture, it reminded him of Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting The Starry Night. But he also saw something else.
“We were outside, and I walked by. The scene struck me—like an angel standing in a shaft of light,” he messaged. A fan of the Grateful Dead, Hansen was inspired by the lyrics of their song Estimated Prophet. “I grabbed my phone, went back, and took a few shots.”
Hansen believes Green fits the theme of that song.
“Funny thing is, we were out there with Zach Mullady,” Hansen said. “And we were all brought together because of Larry. He’s an amazing friend—like an angel.”
Hansen runs the Facebook group Chicagoland Ice Fishing, which Green originally founded. Green also started the Humboldt Park Fishing Society.
Beyond fishing, Green is an artist. He moved from Indiana to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, where he graduated in 1975. His book, Water Tanks of Chicago: A Vanishing Urban Legacy, made Hansen start noticing the old water tanks left around the city. Green has also created artwork featuring old-style grain elevators, particularly those around the Kankakee River basin. Now, Hansen can’t pass one without thinking of Green.
Hansen even has one of Green’s paintings hanging in his office—a full moon framed by electric and phone lines, with three birds in the distance. The piece reminds him of Charles Demuth’s precise, structured painting style.
But back to fishing.
Green said they mostly caught small bluegills and bass that day. “The fish of the day was a crappie,” he said.
Wildlife and Hunting Updates
The Great Backyard Bird Count runs from Friday to Monday. This is a great chance for teachers, parents, and scout leaders to help kids connect with nature. The event is flexible—you can spend as little or as much time as you want counting birds.
For Illinois hunters, Saturday marks the end of squirrel and rabbit hunting seasons. It’s also the last day to file windshield-card reports, a task that many find annoying but necessary.
Stray Thoughts
Brad Pitt’s speech about American football and the U.S. had two possible vibes—either as graceful as a steelhead leaping out of the water or as messy as a carp thrashing on a muddy shore.
