We’re finishing up the week strong with the latest entry in our Jerry Garcia Artist Series, and this time, AJ brings the art and the vibes!
While we love writing about our releases and the artists behind them, we also love AJ’s behind-the-scenes and stories and explanations that he often posts alongside his pieces. So, per AJ, “The year is 1972 and we have what I lovingly refer to as young stud Jerry. Running on tie-dyed psychedelic fuel and ready to take over the world, Alligator ushered in what has to be one of the greatest eras in Grateful Dead history. These portraits are all about capturing the vibe and feel of each guitar generation. For this piece I wanted to reach a bit further than simply depicting Jerry’s youthful look, I wanted to grab onto that iconic polaroid color scheme that screams early 70’s. A technicolor wonderland of earthy hues, each vibrating at its own frequency.
The guitar itself presented quite a challenge as its looks went through so many iterations over a short amount of time. I quickly realized that Alligator as it stands today is not the same as it was when Jerry was actually playing it. In an attempt to be as historically accurate as possible I did significant research digging through photos and videos from the era, even combining through guitar tech message boards trying to determine the correct arrangement of both mechanical specs and more importantly the stickers that appeared to come and go on the swamp-ash body on a regular basis, I hope I did it justice.
Overall, all of this combines into what I feel is one of my strongest representations of Jerry to date, I hope you agree.”
AJ’s funky Jerry print will be available on Friday (6/13) @ 12PM ET on our homepage, Bottleneckgallery.com!
Alligator - Letterpress Edition by AJ Masthay
Letterpress on Somerset Velvet cotton rag paper with hand-deckled edges
16 x 20 inches
Signed, embossed and hand-numbered edition of 500
$100 / SET: $300
Alligator - Graphite Edition by AJ Masthay
Fine art giclee on Entrada cotton rag paper with hand-deckled edges
16 x 20 inches
Signed, embossed and hand-numbered edition of 250
$150 / SET: $300
Alligator - Blue Edition by AJ Masthay
Fine art giclee on Entrada cotton rag paper
12 x 16 inches
Signed and hand-numbered edition of 750
$50 / SET: $300
Alligator - Watercolor Variant by AJ Masthay
Letterpress on Somerset Velvet cotton rag paper with hand-deckled edges
16 x 20 inches
Signed and embossed
$1000
Alligator - Graphite OG by AJ Masthay
Graphite on Stonehenge cotton rag paper
18 x 24 inches
Signed
$2500