For the Alpine Valley run, I decided to incorporate more organic features within the geometric shapes. The objects were inspired by things I learned about Noblesville, Indiana, and the Alpine Valley itself while researching. The imagery was inked and painted on several sheets of paper, scanned, and digitally arranged to create the final images.
Each stub measures 2.75×6.5 inches (The same size as PTBM tickets) and is printed on 130lb gloss paper (slightly thicker than actual stubs), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia. Stubs are available as a complete set,single or two nights. Joseeen.etsy.com
For Mohegan Sun I used one of my earlier isometric drawings, which also doubled as a coloring page for my students! I created 3 copies that were done in graphite and also watercolor. I ended up using the linework and digitally combined a watercolor painting I had done.
Each stub measures 2.75×6.5 inches (The same size as PTBM tickets) and is printed on 130lb gloss paper (slightly thicker than actual stubs), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia. Stubs are available as a complete set or single nights. Joseeen.etsy.com
Summer tour is back, and so are ticket stubs (sort of)! I now enter my 2nd year of creating PTBM-inspired, unofficial commemorative stubs for Phish shows.
Early isometric drawing
I was inspired by isometric drawings for this tour, which I had known about for a while, but never really drawn. During our annual standardized testing time, I found myself without a classroom and subjugated to “art on a cart”. I had to find something simple that students could work on in their classroom, and in some cases quietly since other students may still be testing. While most had a tough time doing the activities, it made sense to a few, who promptly demanded more challenging drawings to do. This had me researching and creating isometric drawings for worksheets. Something I noticed was how much I enjoyed drawing them. It felt like a challenging puzzle that was also a relaxing activity.
I used the Mansfield run art as a way to explore isometric art and see where it would lead me. The process of drawing them had a very improvisational feel, with the grid leading me around the drawing.
Each stub measures 2.75×6.5 inches (The same size as PTBM tickets) and is printed on 130lb gloss paper (slightly thicker than actual stubs), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia. Stubs are available as a complete set, and single or two nights.
These were some of the largest illustrations I had done for a ticket stub. Each one is 11×15 and was very difficult to scan. Due to the size, these took a bit of time to complete, which I was ok with!
My ticket stubs for Phish’s 4-night New Year’s run at Madison Square Garden in NYC. 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), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia.
For this run, I found inspiration in the public monuments in New York City to which I made some artistic changes. Night 1 is based on the Peace Monument found on the lawn of the UN building. Night 2 is based on Isamu Noguchi’s Red Cube in the Financial District. For nights 3 and 4 I was inspired by the Atlas and Prometheus statues, found outside Rockefeller Center.
The artwork for each stub was watercolor paintings on 6×9 paper. They were then scanned. The ticket stub design was based on the 2018 PTBM (Phish tickets by mail) ticket stubs, which feature a vertical format.
I currently have a limited number of ticket stubs available in my shop: joseeen.etsy.com. I will also be at the PhanArt show at Hill Country BBQ on December 30th with my tickets as well as fall and summer tour ticket stubs.
My ticket stubs for Phish’s 3-night run in Chicago, IL. 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), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia.
Inspired by the Chicago skyline, the artwork was watercolor on paper, which was then scanned and digitally arranged.
My ticket stubs for Phish’s 2-night run in Dayton, OH. The original art was micron pen and watercolor on paper, which was then scanned and digitally arranged. 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), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia.
The artwork was inspired by the Aullwood Trolls created by recycle artist Thomas Dambo. These sculptures reside minutes away from the venue at the Aullwood Audubon. I also included a reference to Dayton residents the Wright brothers and the bell tower at Carillion Park.
My commemorative ticket stubs for the opener of Phish’s Fall Tour. The original art was watercolor on paper, which was then scanned and digitally arranged. 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), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia.
The art was inspired by the neon lights on Broadway in Nashville. I decided to change things up, creating vertical tickets inspired by Summer 2018 PTBMs. This allowed me to create art I couldn’t do in the previous landscape format I had been using. I painted three 5×9 watercolors inspired by the neon signs of the Second Fiddle (First Tube), the Stage (Wedge), and Betty Boots (Reba). These paintings were fun and challenging, especially trying to recreate the glow of the lights, and how they reflect on nearby surfaces. I even used them as teaching tools in my classroom, working on them with the same watercolor sets my students were using!
I also created a print version using the artwork I created for the ticket stubs. It measures 11×17 and is printed on 100 lb cover paper, limited to an edition of 50.
My commemorative ticket stubs for Phish’s 4-day run at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. The original art was watercolor on paper, which was then scanned to create the tickets. 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), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia.
By the time I started working on these, my summer had ended and I was back to teaching. My free time was very limited, and the surprise of the SPAC shows threw my timeline off. In my search for inspiration, I was looking at pictures of the view of Denver from Commerce City. At this point, I was getting frustrated and in a state of artistic delirium, just thought “What if I replace the mountains with the buildings? What if I replace the clouds with buildings?” This amused me enough that I sketched up the possible scenarios and then created the paintings. Working on these was beneficial in dealing with the stress involved with a new school year. I must admit that I prolonged how long they took to complete since it was one of the things I looked forward to most when getting home from school, besides seeing my wife and cat!
My commemorative ticket stubs for Phish’s 2-day flood recovery benefit show at the Broadview Stage at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, NY. The original art was watercolor on paper, which was then scanned and digitally arranged. Inspired by PTBM (Phish tickets by mail) ticket stubs. The barcode actually scans and links to each night’s setlist on Phish.net! You can also scan the QR code to make a donation to Waterwheel’s flood recovery fund. 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), printed by Fireball Printing in Philadelphia.
The art is comprised of several illustrations inspired by several animal references found throughout several Phish songs. They were then scanned and digitally arranged for the final artwork.
I also created a print version using the artwork I created for the ticket stubs. It measures 11×14 and is printed on 100 lb paper, limited to an edition of 50.
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.
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, 