My ticket stubs for Phish’s 7-night run at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Inspired by PTBM (Phish tickets by mail) ticket stubs. The barcode actually scans and links to each night’s setlist on Phish.net. Each stub measures 2.75×6.5 inches (The same size as PTBM tickets) and is printed on 14 Pt paper (slightly thicker than actual stubs)
The ticket art is inspired by old NYC shops and bodegas, many of which are no longer standing. As a child, my family would often drive to NYC to visit family. One of my favorite parts of these trips was visiting different bodegas in search of exotic snacks and candies I wouldn’t find in the suburbs.
I also created a print version using the artwork I created for the ticket stubs. It measures 12×16 and is printed on 100 lb paper, limited to an edition of 50.
Ticket Stubs available here:
This was a very challenging series to create! It took a lot of research to find the right shops to paint. I need the right signage that could be subtly changed to become a Phish reference. Most images focused on the shop so I had to refer to Google Maps to get a better view of the location. I learned how many of the shops were no longer in operation, but fortunately was able to look up older street views.
While working on these paintings I was taking an online watercolor course and was able to apply a lot of what I learned to these paintings. I had never used watercolor until after college and learned via trial and error, so I learned that I was doing a lot of things wrong, or at least the hard way! I was able to create a lot of things with more reliance on color, and less on linework. I did use some micron pens but relied mostly on my brush. I drew some of the typography separately but kept that to a minimum. I also tried to paint them in a way that wouldn’t require any digital work other than scanning them.
Another challenge for me was that I was traveling for, attending, and vending at several Phish shows during this time! If you saw me vending at Burgettstown, you might have caught me working on one of them there! It got a bit close, but I managed to get them all done and ready to go for the final two shows of MSG and was able to offer them all at the PhanArt show that took place.
Not just reading the book, 