Rick Griffin for sale

I am reluctantly forced to sell two Rick Griffin (1944-1991) pieces that have been in my collection for over forty years. Rick was a friend and a seminal pioneer in surf, psychedelic and Christian art.

The first is the large original artwork for the Book of John, the Chapter 4 header. Ink on board. Interior image is about 18" x 15." It is framed and beautiful in its simplicity. Rebekah at the well.

The second piece is the original conceptual sketch for the Grateful Dead, finished in the late seventies. This was the first work I commissioned from Rick, bringing him the idea of the phoenix rising from the heart, he later asked permission to use it with the Grateful Dead and I assented.

The colored pencil and gouache rendering on vellum ultimately became the reckoning cover for the Grateful Dead, finished about four years earlier. It is the only comp that featured a nautical scene and cloudscape, the phoenix emanating from a beautiful ship's wheel. Those visual elements were discarded later, I think this had something the later emanations lacked.

About 20 x 20" image. 

If you are interested in either of these, email me for a price. I hate to sell but need to put my life on a better financial footing. I have a few more Griffin pieces that I will probably be selling as well.