Psychedelic Skulls ... and the story behind them

I've been asked several times now ... why the Psychedelic Skulls?

The series of indigo applique and hand-embroidery was inspired my obsessions for the artwork of Friso Henstra, psychedelic rock posters, punk bands and calaveras.

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, we saw the birth of psychedelic art rock posters for bands like the Grateful Dead playing the Fillmore. Initially illustrated by Wes Wilson, the style caught on.

Along with the illustrated art of Peter Max, brightly colored "flower power" imagery informed the floral style art of our shirtjacks.

Illustrator Friso Henstra penned the art for one my favorite children's books Forgetful Fred. Weirdly imaginative, the enduring images of shooting stars influenced the artwork of the Skull + Stars Shirtjack directly.

Blending with all this wildly colorful art are the Indigo Skulls. Appliqued from African mudcloths, the smiling skulls are influenced by the logos and art of some of my favorite punk bands as well as Day of the Dead calaveras.

The Misfits Fiend logo ... an enduring skull image

Recent artwork from Rancid's Tim Armstrong

The calaveras folk art of José Guadalupe Posada has now become associated with sugar skulls of the holiday Día de los Muertos.

This nostalgic mix of music and art from the 1970's and 1990's has lead me to create these very personal pieces, showing my love of weird and wild with every stitch.