Otis Rush Chicago Blues Band Poster
The yin-yang of Wes Wilson's universe features prominently in BG053. The male and female figures appear Native American, worshipers who, like Wilson, used plant-derived drugs to access the spirit world, and are two aspects of one soul; day and night, sun and moon.
The 1st printing was printed on vellum using the "split fountain technique". On this pre-concert original, the background to the right of the "s" in "Mothers" is rust colored. The black border has an even matte finish. It measures 13 5/16" x 22 1/4".
The 2nd printing is on stock that is characterized by its splotchy finish, particularly noticeable in the black border. This post-concert reprint also utilized the "split fountain technique", but here the background to the right of the "s" in "Mothers" is a yellow to orange color. It measures 13 7/16" x 22 3/8".
When the Avalon Ballroom and Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium began to hold weekly dance concerts, Wilson was called upon to design the posters. He created psychedelic posters from February 1966 to May 1967, when disputes over money severed his connection with Graham. Wilson pioneered the psychedelic rock poster. Intended for a particular audience, "one that was tuned in to the psychedelic experience," his art, and especially the exaggerated freehand lettering, emerged from Wilson's own involvement with that experience and the psychedelic art of light shows.