Richard Alden "Rick" Griffin (June 18, 1944 – August 18, 1991) was an American

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. As a contributor to the

underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority ...

movement, his work appeared regularly in '' Zap Comix''. Griffin was closely identified with the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

, designing some of their best-known posters and album covers such as '' Aoxomoxoa''. His work within the surfing subculture included both film posters and his comic strip, ''Murphy''.

Early life

Griffin was born near Palos Verdes amidst the

surfing culture Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish an ...

of southern California. Griffin biographer Tim Stephenson notes: :"His father was an engineer and amateur archaeologist and as a boy Rick accompanied him on digs in the Southwest. It was during this time that Rick was exposed to the Native American and ghost town artifacts that were to influence his later work. Rick was taught to surf by Randy Nauert at the age of 14 at Torrance Beach. The pair had met at Alexander Jr. High, and were to become lifelong friends, Rick producing much of the artwork for Randy's future band, the Challengers." While attending Nathaniel Narbonne High School in the

Harbor City Harbor City is a highly diverse neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, with a population upward of 36,000 people. Originally part of the Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, the Harbor City was brought into Los Angeles as ...

area of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, he produced numerous surfer drawings, which led to his surfing comic strip, "Murphy" for '' Surfer'' magazine in 1961, with Griffin's character featured on the front cover the following year. In 1964, he left ''Surfer'' and briefly attended Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts), where he met his future wife, artist Ida Pfefferle. That same year, he hung out with the group of artists and musicians known as the Jook Savages.

Career

Posters

He traveled with Ida on a Mexican surfing trip and later planned a move to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

after seeing the psychedelic rock posters designed by Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley. In late 1966, the couple arrived in San Francisco, where they first lived in their van before moving to Elsie Street in the

Bernal Heights Bernal Heights ( ) is a residential neighborhood in southeastern San Francisco, California. The prominent Bernal Heights hill overlooks the San Francisco skyline and features a microwave transmission tower. The nearby Sutro Tower can be seen from ...

district. In the mid-1960s, he participated in

Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. Kesey was born in ...

Acid Tests The Acid Tests were a series of parties held by author Ken Kesey primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area during the mid-1960s, centered on the use of and advocacy for the psychedelic drug LSD, commonly known as "acid". LSD was not made illeg ...

. His first art exhibition was for the Jook Savages, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Psychedelic Shop on Haight Street. Organizers for the Human Be-In saw his work and asked him to design a poster for their January 1967 event. Chet Helms was also impressed by Griffin's work and asked him to design posters for the Family Dog dance concerts at the

Avalon Ballroom The Avalon Ballroom was a music venue in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California, at 1244 Sutter Street (or 1268 Sutter, depending on the entrance). The space is known as the location of many concerts of the counterculture move ...

, which led Griffin to create concert posters for the Charlatans. In 1967, Griffin, Kelley, Mouse, Victor Moscoso and

Wes Wilson Robert Wesley Wilson (July 15, 1937 – January 24, 2020) was an American artist and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters. Best known for designing posters for Bill Graham of The Fillmore in San Francisco, he invented a style t ...

teamed as the founders of Berkeley Bonaparte, a company that created and marketed psychedelic posters. In the fall of 1967 through the end of the year, Griffin also created posters for Chet Helms's The Family Dog Denver ballroom in Denver, CO. Griffin returned to Southern California in 1969, eventually settling in San Clemente.

Comix

Griffin was a regular contributor to '' Zap Comix'', with his work appearing in issues #2, 3, 5–7, and 11–12. He contributed to all five issues of the comics zine ''Promethean Enterprises'' (1969–1974) and created ''Man from Utopia'', a hybrid of illustration and comix printed by the San Francisco Comic Book Company in 1972. Griffin also had comix work in '' Yellow Dog'' (1969–1969), ''Snatch Comics'' (1968), ''Bogeyman Comics'' (1969–1970), ''Jiz Comics'' (1969), '' San Francisco Comic Book'' (1970), ''Tales from the Tube'' (1972), and ''Zam (Zap Jam)'' (1974). His work appeared in the 1980s in ''Gates of Eden'' (1982) and ''

Blab! ''Blab!'' was an anthology edited by Monte Beauchamp that featured a mixture of alternative comics and illustrated features focused predominantly on illustration, graphic design, and lowbrow art. The first two issues (1986–87) were published ...

'' (1986).

''The Gospel of John''

Griffin became a born again Christian in November 1970, which led to fundamental changes in his lifestyle and in the style and content of his art. His 1973 painting ''Sail on Sailor'' for the band

Mustard Seed Faith Mustard Seed Faith was an American Jesus music group from Costa Mesa, California. Mustard Seed Faith was one of several groups formed by members of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in the late 1960s and early 1970s; others included Daniel Amos and Swee ...

is an example of his fine art painting from this period. His most significant 1970s project was the creation of hundreds of paintings and drawings for ''The Gospel of John'', published by the Christian record label Maranatha! Music. He also produced much album art for Maranatha! during the 1970s and 1980s.

Death and legacy

Rick Griffin died shortly after a motorcycle accident on August 15, 1991, in Petaluma, California. He was thrown from his Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he collided with a van that suddenly turned left as he attempted to pass it. He was not wearing a helmet and sustained major head injuries. He died three days later, on August 18, in nearby Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, at the age of 47.Chronology by Gordon McClelland in ''Heart and Torch'', Laguna Art Museum, 2007. His work has been cited as an inspiration by surrealistic artists Roger Dean, known for his designs for bands such as

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, as well as

Mark Wilkinson Mark Wilkinson (born 3 October 1952) is an English illustrator. He is best known for the detailed surrealistic cover art he created for a number of British bands. Wilkinson's breakthrough came through his association with the neo-progressive ...

, known for his designs for bands such as

Marillion Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the most ...

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

and

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harr ...

Books

*McClelland, Gordon. ''The Art of Rick Griffin''. Perigee Paper Tiger, 1980. Reprinted by Last Gasp, 2001. *Harvey, Doug, edited by Susan Anderson. ''Heart and Torch: Rick Griffin's Transcendence''. Laguna Art Museum, Gingko Press, 2007.

References

External links

Rick Griffin's official website

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Rick Griffin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Rick 1944 births 1991 deaths Album-cover and concert-poster artists Albums with cover art by Rick Griffin American comics artists American comic strip cartoonists Psychedelic artists American poster artists Road incident deaths in California Underground cartoonists Motorcycle road incident deaths History of San Francisco People from Palos Verdes, California Inkpot Award winners Christian comics creators