CAPTAIN. JERRY. JOHNS.

A portrait of music legend Jerry Garcia overlaid on pop culture Captains and presented as a homage to artist Jasper Johns.

 CAPTAIN.

A Google search of “CAPTAIN ” results in 1000’s of references and images catalogued under that term. There is no longer an information hierarchy of importance for what captain means as there are so many references in popular culture.  In researching for this piece, I chose 9 different captains referenced in pop culture as the background which include Captains: Kirk, Jaws, Solo, Caveman, Funk, Crunch, Nemo, Kangaroo, and Hook.

JERRY.

Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his work as the lead guitarist and as a vocalist with the band the Grateful Dead, which came to prominence during the counterculture era in the 1960s. Although he disavowed the role, Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or "spokesman" of the group.  As one of its founders, Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead for their entire 30-year career (1965–1995).  Garcia was also renowned for his musical and technical ability, particularly his ability to play a variety of instruments (guitar, piano, banjo and pedal steel), and his ability to sustain long improvisations with the Grateful Dead. Garcia believed that improvisation took stress away from his playing and allowed him to make spur of the moment decisions that he would not have made intentionally. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Garcia noted that "my own preferences are for improvisation, for making it up as I go along. The idea of picking, of eliminating possibilities by deciding, that's difficult for me". Later in life, Garcia struggled with diabetes, and in 1986 went into a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life. Although his overall health improved somewhat after that, he continued to struggle with obesity, smoking, and longstanding heroin and cocaine addictions. He was staying in a California drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart attack in August 1995 at the age of 53.

 JOHNS.

Jasper Johns (born May 15, 1930) is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker whose work is associated with abstract expressionism, Neo-Dada, and pop art. He is well known for his depictions of the American flag and other US-related topics. In 2018, The New York Times called him the United States' "foremost living artist. Born in Augusta, Georgia, Jasper Johns spent his early life in Allendale, South Carolina, with his paternal grandparents after his parents' marriage failed. He then spent a year living with his mother in Columbia, South Carolina. In 1954, after returning to New York, Johns met Robert Rauschenberg and they became long-term lovers. Working together they explored the contemporary art scene, and began developing their ideas on art. In 1958, gallery owner Leo Castelli discovered Johns while visiting Rauschenberg's studio. “ Castelli immediately offered Johns his first solo show. It was here that Alfred Barr, the founding director of New York's Museum of Modern Art, purchased four works from this show. Johns currently lives in Sharon, Connecticut, and on the island of Saint Martin.

The Mashup results in the new pop Icon CAPTAIN. JERRY. JOHNS.

Available in:

34 x 34 inch GLASS: The glass can be mounted to the wall via 4 one-inch standoffs (included).  Negative or white space is transparent. Light reflects multiple translucent shadows onto the wall creating a 3d optical illusion and giving the pieces a sculptural feel.