“A line on paper is like a note in the air” — Jerry Garcia

Teaser

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jerry Garcia was best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead, the rock band for which he served as de facto leader for 30 years, from 1965 until 1995. 

Jerry Garcia was nearly as prolific of an artist as he was a musician, having attended the San Francisco Art Institute and eventually creating over 2,000 pieces. At 17, Garcia considered himself “an artist who played music.”

Although he took an extended pause from creating visual art, by 1987 he was fully immersed in the expression once again, working with pencil drawing, pen & ink, etchings, watercolor, and digital media. Even less well known is that Garcia was an early adopter of Macintosh computers as a means of creating digital art, of which he was at the forefront.  

“Jerry always had sketchbooks on hand at home and while on tour” said Manasha Garcia, Jerry’s wife and co-founder of the Jerry Garcia Foundation. “He filled books with sketches and drawings in various media. As a family, we had fun creating art together.  Often, his art served as a visual travelogue.”

Paris Carousel (watercolor, 1990) / Keelin, Jerry, & Manasha Garcia, Paris 1990

Garcia’s artistic practice is characterized by a playful energy and a palette of intensely bright colors to depict the people, animals, landscapes, and psychedelic expressions inspired by The Dead’s relentless touring schedule and Garcia’s passion for environmental preservation and protection. 

With that environmental passion in mind, MakersPlace will cover all costs associated with carbon offsets through its partnership with leading sustainability platform Aerial.

The Drop

Mandolin Player featuring Jack-A-Roe performed by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman

“Mandolin Player” is a pen and ink drawing by Jerry Garcia circa 1990 when he began recording and touring with his old friend David Grisman. Inspired by Grisman playing his mandolin, this animated NFT is accompanied by a performance of The Grateful Dead’s song “Jack-A-Roe.”

This soundtrack is performed by Jerry Garcia on guitar, David Grisman playing mandolin, Jim Kerwin on bass guitar and Joe Craven playing both fiddle and percussion. Spatial audio mix remastered 2022 by Jair-Rohm Parker Wells.

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