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- Artists
- Welker, David
 - Bands
- Garcia, Jerry
- Edition Details
| Year: | 2024 | | Class: | Original Art | | Status: | Official | | Technique: | Original Mixed Media |
- EB Awards
- Art of the Week 03/20/24
- Comments
- Read 21 Comments
- Add Comment
Hello my Friends,
Over the last few months I've been quietly chipping away at a very comprehensive tribute to one of my lifelong heroes, the one and only Jerry Garcia.
For those of us who have loved this man's dedication to music and culture and his soft spoken, often self deprecating analysis of his own legacy, words pale in comparison to the emotion he left us with.
He gave so much. His strength was immense yet we all knew he was carrying a heavy burden. His smile was a window to his heart. You could see everything in his face. Above all was this accessible joy that he offered through his profound dedication to music and truly inspired playing that literally opened portals. Add to this the storytelling of Robert Hunter that gave tremendous foundation to his musical spirit and illuminated a great American tale of adventure, as well as the sheer honesty of his stage presence where you knew you were getting him with all his strengths and weaknesses and not a rehearsed act. Every show was different and we loved him all the more for it.
I first saw the Grateful Dead in 1977 in Englishtown, New Jersey. I held onto my older brother's belt loop as he led me into a massive crowd of over a hundred thousand people. I'd been listening to the albums for years, staring at the art and photos on the vinyl sleeves for hours at a time, but seeing and hearing them in person was life altering. And Jerrys presence and energy was profound. It was as if he just took the stage and a gateway opened. It was truly surreal and unique. I was never the same, so here I am so many years later and his spirit is still with me.
I wanted to express my love for him and the endless possibilities of his music, and represent him playing alongside some of the symbols and icons that have materialized because of his wondrous life.
I'm grateful to my good friends at Bottleneck Gallery for fostering this project over time and not letting it slip away, and for their alliance and relationship to the Jerry Garcia Estate.
This will be a screen print with a main edition and four variants. The Title is "Ramble On Rose'' , because I know this song ain't never gonna end.
As always, I am grateful to you for being a part of my artistic journey.
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