Screenprinted Poster - 34" by 21"- Edition of 100
In the spring of 2010 I was asked to illustrate and screenprint a tour poster for Columbus, Ohio, musician, Val, who performs as Time & Temperature. A legit African-American down-home finger-pickin' blues artist, she was headed to Europe and needed posters to promote her shows there. In our chat about the content of the poster she asked that I work around the idea of angels doing something reprehensible to the devil so as to complicate the traditional notions of good and evil. This idea would marry well with her blues based lyrical content that deals in old gospel themes. I thought that was a terrific direction to head, so I got to work. I sent her a mock-up (much milder than the one seen above) that had the two angels on the sides holding the devil steady as the center angel was poised to stab him in his heart with a dagger. Upon seeing the rough, Val said, "No, no, no. They need to be doing something WAY WORSE than that. Make it like, REALLY GORY. Maybe you could draw the one angel on the side SODOMIZING HIM WITH A MACHETE.?" I was saucer eyed. In my mind I was all like "Oh my stars. I think maybe you've got the wrong artist." We eventually arrived at the somewhat gory compromise you see here, but not after me being scarred forever.
