Post by Dennis Loren Art.
Artist Gary Grimshaw died Monday morning at Detroit Receiving Hospital after a long illness. He was 67 and will definitely be missed. – Detroit News Obituary
The MoonalicePosters.com Holidaze Gift Guide
Looking for the perfect holiday gift this season? We’ve put together a list of great gift giving recommendations. The gift of art always makes a great gift, and right now all posters at the Moonalice Store are priced at only $20. Selection is limited and changes often.
Fans of the Moonalice Poster Series won’t want to miss the Moonalice Legend Poster and Words books series. The latest, Volume 4, is a 208 full-color hardbound coffee table book that includes the best poster art of San Francisco. If you are new to the book series, there is a special bundle price for those looking to purchase all four volumes.
High Volume, The Art of Chuck Sperry is still available through chucksperry.net, after his last copies are sold you will be able to pick it up at Last Gasp. The book contains over 60 posters from the career of rock poster legend Chuck Sperry, plus a lengthy interview with the artist. Includes studio shots and a short Sperry bio.
“Never known for following the concensus of any art establishment, Chuck Sperry has a strict loyalty to his craft, and has become a leading innovator of the rock poster art form. His suspicion and disdain for mainstream American politics often characterizes his approach to making art. With a sincere dedication to a broad public audience, Sperry reflects a social consciousness and draws from the immediate urban environment.” – Renee de Cossio, curator, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Another Moonalice artist who has a book out that’s not to be missed is Startling Art: Revealing The Art Of Dennis Larkins. The art of Dennis Larkins ranges from retro-kitsch paintings of multi-dimensional landscapes to his legendary and iconic series of Grateful Dead concert posters. Larkins’ images were forever burned into the pop psyche by the groundbreaking stage monoliths he created for promoter Bill Graham. This book is a definitive collection of Larkins’ works with four decades of his creative growth and expression distilled in to a gorgeous, full-color hardcover. Startling Art is an in-depth look at an artist immersed in the visual vernacular of pop surrealism, uniquely drawn from a life lived in the trenches of pop culture. Available now at Last Gasp. Limited edition signed and numbered fine art prints available at dennislarkins.com.
We would be remiss to not mention Moonalice poster artist Winston Smith’s trilogy of books guaranteed to shock and awe – available from Last Gasp. A fine selection of posters and fine art prints are available at his shop.
Photographer Jay Blakesberg recently released his latest coffee table book JAM Photographs by Jay Blakesberg that contains more than 300 images of The Grateful Dead, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic and many more cherry picked from over 30,000 photographs. The book includes many never-before-published photos of artists like Neil Young, Carlos Santana, The Roots, My Morning Jacket, Elvis Costello, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, The Flaming Lips, and Wilco to name a few. View sample pages or purchase now at RockOutBooks.com.
A stunning 200 page hardcover coffee table book spanning almost 40 years of epic Grateful Dead photos and stories by Bob Minkin is coming soon, but right now you can participate at his Kickstarter to be sure you won’t miss out on a copy of LIVE DEAD – The Grateful Dead Photographed by Bob Minkin. Purchase now.
If you can appreciate the Grateful Dead, you will love Dancing with the Dead – A Photographic Memoir: My Good Old Days with the Grateful Dead & the San Francisco Music Scene 1964-1974 by Rosie McGee. Photographer and Grateful Dead insider (also Phil Lesh’s girlfriend at the time the Grateful Dead formed) Rosie McGee tells dozens of previously-untold stories of living, traveling and working with the Dead during their first decade as a band. The book is illustrated with 200 of her rare and candid photographs, many never before seen in print. Not just for Deadheads or baby boomers—this book is for anyone seeking a woman’s intimate account of the San Francisco rock music community in the Sixties, rare in a field of such books most often written by men. To learn more, watch the conversation with Dennis Leonard at TRI Studios as they discuss the book and her experiences with the group.
The Grateful Dead had a profound impact on poster art and Art of the Dead by Phil Cushway showcases the vibrant, charismatic poster art that emerged from the streets of San Francisco in 1964 and 1966. It traces the cultural, political, and historical influences of posters as art back to Japanese wood blocks through Bell Époque, on to the Beatniks, the Free Speech Movement, and the Acid Tests. Featuring interviews and profiles of the key artists, including Rick Griffin, Stanley “Mouse” Miller, Alton Kelley, Wes Wilson, and Victor Moscoso.
The book uses Grateful Dead as the vehicle to tell the story of poster art as The Dead were the band that ultimately proved to be the most substantive and engaged partner for the artists and hence featured the best art of any rock ‘n’ roll band ever. The book will follow a chronological evolution of the art from the band’s origination in 1965 through Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995.
The book & very special Art of the Dead limited print editions by Stanley Mouse available now.
If you are looking for something made by hand that not only looks good but does good, check out something from the Filament Project. Filaments are made from guitar strings donated by various musicians, some whose names you know, some you may not. 100% of the profits from the sale of this jewelry is donated to to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which raises money to help working musicians who are in need of help with medical and day-to-day living expenses. These items are 100% recycled and the current selection can be viewed at filamentsknotworking.tumblr.com.
Moonalice’s Queen Of The Surreal Carolyn Ferris is having a Holiday Sale Celebration with the complete Ferris Moonalice poster collection being offered at a special price, or take advantage of the 2 for 1 sale also at her store. To order, go to www.CarolynFerris.com/blog
The Carolyn Ferris Moonalice collection
Artist Darrin Brenner is having a Holiday sale on all of her Moonalice posters. These posters will be signed and priced at only $10.00 each (that’s half-price) when you buy two or more. Includes Shipping! Contact Darrin for more details.
UPDATE: This post will be updated as other recommendations become discovered. ☮
The Bronze Bunny Project
Death…Resurrection. Join us and Bronze the Bunny!
THE BUNNY: Recognized in 2012 as the 3rd best public sculpture in San Francisco by SF Weekly, Jeremy Fish’s Silly Pink Bunny is an important piece of artwork that marks the gateway to the Lower Haight neighborhood. Perhaps most importantly, the Silly Pink Bunny and murals that grace the walls at Haight and Laguna symbolize years of neighbor and community efforts to activate the Haight Street corridor through culturally relevant and iconic street art.
THE THREAT: Today, development plans for the site include removing the Silly Pink Bunny and walls along Laguna and Haight to make way for new rental housing.
THE SOLUTION: Fortunately, the developer of the site has agreed to work with the community and artist to find a permanent home for a new, bronzed Silly Pink Bunny and the murals. And the Haight Street Art Center has already secured half of the funding that will be needed to make this effort a reality.
THE PROJECT: But we need your help to raise the other half! Join us and Bronze the Bunny! Once we reach our funding goal, the artist will Bronze the Bunny and we’ll send out the goodies to those who supported the effort! The new, bronzed Silly Pink Bunny will get placed in its final location near the corner of Laguna and Haight in about 12-18 months, depending on the pace of construction at the site and subject to final location approval from the San Francisco Planning Department. In the meantime, the bunny will get bronzed and will get placed in a temporary home until the Haight & Laguna location is ready.Recognized in 2012 as the 3rd best public sculpture in San Francisco by SF Weekly, Jeremy Fish’s Silly Pink Bunny is an important piece of artwork that marks the gateway to the Lower Haight neighborhood. Perhaps most importantly, the Silly Pink Bunny and murals that grace the walls at Haight and Laguna symbolize years of neighbor and community efforts to activate the Haight Street corridor through culturally relevant and iconic street art.
Help resurrect the silly pink bunny and get some really cool rewards at Kickstarter.
Moonalice Grail Poster Available at Peoples Art of Portland
The Peoples Art of Portland Gallery are currently hosting A Chuck Sperry Retrospective featuring over 250 gig posters, art prints, and political posters by artist Chuck Sperry. To date, Chuck has designed 18 posters in the Moonalice series, and a few of them can be viewed at the gallery.
Screen printed Moonalice poster M333, for the three night run starting January 3, 2011 at Slim’s in San Francisco, and Moonalice poster M454, for the Art of Moonalice on April 8, 2012 at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City, including some rare variant editions are included in the show.
Most of the Moonalice posters featured in the Retrospective sold opening night. The only remaining Moonalice poster left for purchase at the time of this writing is The Art of Moonalice – Bronze Variant (pictured below), from a small edition of only 13.
New Art Prints by Winston Smith at Varnish Fine Art Available Now
Butterfly Bomber by Winston Smith, 2012
Artist Winston Smith has been busy creating art, as seen in his latest show Seditions at Varnish Fine Art in San Francisco. He is classically trained in Renaissance art, having left the U.S. in 1969 to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where he lived for several years before moving to Rome. Winston’s technique of cutting out by hand and gluing each individual element has inspired a generation of artists. Winston continues to created amazing art, including our favorite, Moonalice posters!
His recent work from the Vintage Collage Series at Varnish Fine Art is surreal and not to be missed! If an original Collage is out of your price range, an option of a Giclee print on Somerset Double-Weight Velvet Archival Paper, edition of 100 are available now.
View the complete exhibit at Varnish Fine Art.
Face to Face by Winston Smith, 2012
Nightmare by Winston Smith, 2012
A Cry From the Depths by Winston Smith, 2012
Trance Ported by Winston Smith, 2012