The second of Griffin and Moscoso's poster collaborations for Bill Graham, this Iron Butterfly offering is very similar to BG140. In fact, Moscoso said that after a bit, "... it became difficult to tell where Rick drew and where I drew." In BG141, the scarab changed into a "trash burner[s] with horns."
The poster was printed before the concert. There is some color variation throughout the print run, particularly noticeable in the border which ranges from black to a lighter green/black. The poster measures 14" x 21".
The 2nd printing is on uncoated matte stock and has "W 2021" in the lower right hand margin. It was printed in 2021 by Wolfgang's in a 250 copy run. This reprint measures 14" x 21".
Rick Griffin grew up in the surfing culture of Southern California, a milieu which had a profound influence on his art. After high school, he worked on the staff of Surfer magazine and created the best-known surfing cartoon character of the time, Murphy. After his move to San Francisco in 1967, be began combining eclectic typefaces and decorative borders with brilliant colors in his concert posters. Griffin's compositions were complex without being illegible. A perfectionist, Griffin often applied dozens of overlays and redrew lettering again and again until he was satisfied. In the early 1970s, Griffin became a born-again Christian and religious themes dominated his work until his death in a motorcycle accident in 1991.