Opal - Grateful Dead - The Beekeeper
I tentatively titled this Grateful Dead art as "The Beekeeper" during the illustration process. I knew the band had encouraged bee and butterfly conservation in the past thru milkweed seeds and garden pollinator packs being distributed at shows. That idea stuck with me and a single bee ended up being the genesis of the art here.
The sunflower was drawn next as a symbol rooted in psychedelia. The radial lines from the sun are meant to mirror the petals of the flower. I also made a conscious effort to draw the sun in a way that would compliment Rick Griffin's iconic
69 Avalon Ballroom poster.
NOTES: 20 x 29 inches /// 7 screens (2 metallic) /// artists editions signed and numbered: opal to 70, wind chimes foil to 50 and kaleidoscope to 50 /// officially licensed thru Grateful Dead and made in early 2020 with Bottleneck Gallery as the publisher /// Bottleneck editions are numbered: opal to 250, wind chimes to 150 and kaleidoscope to 150