I am ecstatic to share my print for the Phish New Year’s Run at Madison Square Garden in NYC! This print is 12×18, printed on 100lb glossy cover paper. Prints are signed and limited to an edition of 200. Inspired by the New Yorker magazine, I sought to capture the sights outside MSG during the new year’s runs, often firsthand! I also included over 30 song references throughout the print. This print was comprised of over a dozen small gouache paintings, which were then scanned and digitally arranged.
The print is directly inspired by the May 25th, 1940 cover of the New Yorker, painted by Joseph Low, who created many covers from 1940-1980. While I did not initially plan to do a New Yorker cover, it was Low’s style for this painting that spoke to me. It felt familiar, but I knew I hadn’t seen this image before. I saw the possibilities of creating song references in this style, and went for it!
My biggest challenge in creating the painting was the lack of outlines. I’m fond of using outlines in my work, so this required rethinking my process. I would sketch up an image, darken the lines, and place it on a light table. I then placed a watercolor paper on top of it and would paint an image without lines! As I became familiar with Low’s style, I began painting without sketching first, and my painting started to get smaller. It felt very natural, and while researching more of Joseph Low’s work, I suddenly knew why.
I first came across the October 22nd, 1942 cover some time in elementary school. It may have been an issue of Scholastic Arts magazine or a framed cover in the library, but it was an image ingrained in my brain. I remember trying to replicate the style with markers, but never quite got it. I eventually moved on to other things, but that cover really stuck with me. Who would’ve thought I would rediscover these covers years later!
So, the reaction to my print was mind-blowing! I posted a picture of it when I got my test prints and was bombarded about how to get one. I decided to do a preorder of 50 prints which sold out instantly! My general on sale sold out within hours, so at the moment it is not available in my shop. I will have the remaining prints in the edition available at the PhanArt show at the Stewart Hotel on 12/30 during the New Years Run. I will have a small amount of Artist and Test proofs in my shop in early January. I will also have a surprise print that will be only available at PhanArt!
Not just reading the book, 