Jimi Hendrix Icon painting by Chris Shaw

Acrylic on Canvas, 2010

In early 2010 I created a limited edition screen printed poster for a Hendrix Tribute concert in San Francisco.  I hand-printed the posters with Ron Donovan of The Firehouse Kustom Rock Art Co. in Oakland, CA.  The posters were well received and I’ve been getting bugged to paint the image ever since.

The image is a hybrid of several classic photos of Jimi Hendrix,  which I melded together and sketched to create a new image, then inked for the poster.  The base geometry of this image is the pyramid.  While the poster is more colorful, with metallic rays, etc.  I prefer the simplicity of the painting’s composition as is.  Its not a rock poster.  The Hendrix image is painted on a pure red ochre ground with brings a very organic, rich, and serious feel to this painting.  The complex and razor sharp black-line brushwork adds to the effect of this painting.