NICK CAVE & the Bad Seeds

There is a dark spirituality that I identify with throughout Nick’s work and hoped to capture in the art.  This may be the only time I can recall beginning a piece of art by illustrating the corner pieces versus the central image.  The owls cross their wings as a parallel to the crossed bones in a skull and crossbones.  They symbolize the Bad Seeds and serve as both a warning and a Memento Mori.  Stained glass windows flank the image left and right and north and south evoking a feeling inside a sanctuary.  The trio of serpents and glowing tree is a glimpse into the outside world.

This was my first time working with Nick and Co. and it stands out in my mind for a couple of reasons.  The first being that there’s so few prints in existence for an artist who has been active since 1973.  I recognized that they are careful in selecting what makes its way into the world with Nick’s name on it.  The second point is that I believe (and it’s just my opinion), that of the few prints that are out in the world for Nick, one happens to be the greatest modern era gig poster ever made.  That print is Emek’s Nick Cave from 2006 for a show Manchester.  People often ask me what I like and Emek’s Nick Cave is number one with a bullet.  With that being said I began work on this print with raised expectations knowing this would likely be my one shot at this.

NOTES: 18 x 24 inches /// 6 screens (1 metallic & 1 clear metallic overlay) /// editions signed and numbered: blue to 100 copies & red to 50 copies /// silver edition of 50 to debut at MondoCon 2017 /// June 29, 2017 at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA