In addition to his exploits as a musical icon, the late Jerry Garcia was a prolific visual artist and painter, creating countless works of art over the years. However, as is the nature of fine art, it can only be appreciated to the extent that it can be accessed–and for years, many of Garcia’s works have sat in storage, unseen by the public eye. That is, until recently, when StraxArt, a technology company that specializes in digitizing works of fine art in order to preserve the pieces and make them available to masses, linked up with Jerry’s daughter, Trixie Garcia. One of the first major artists’ estates to sign on with Strax’s unique fine art digitization process protocol was that of Garcia, best known as the late lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead. In an effort spearheaded by Trixie, Strax assisted with the digitization of Jerry’s vast collection of original works, many of which had never been displayed.
Strax Technologies, the parent company of the StraxArt brand, was founded to make thousands of works of art available to everyone by digitizing paintings, drawings, and the like and “streaming” the digitized artwork to various devices. The firm has thousands of photographs and works of fine art digitally captured directly from originals stored in its extensive database, and continues to grow its collection by working directly with artists and their estates to catalogue and present these timeless works of art for the digital age. However, as “poster people” will tell you, physical artwork is still very much in demand in 2017, so StraxArt expanded their offerings to include museum-quality printing and framing of their archived pieces.
Explains Strax co-Founder Eric Singleton, “An amazing byproduct of the Strax process model is the ability to offer limited edition framed prints of Jerry Garcia pieces at a price that is accessible to everyone,” says Singleton, “It was crucial to our mission to make these available without any compromise on quality. We use pigment inks, sustainably sourced framing, 100% cotton museum quality paper, etc, for a true heirloom product that embraces the spirit of Jerry – one of the most important aspects of our mission.”
Strax has continued to build the collection and make it available via a dedicated website, The Jerry Garcia Collection, which displays a wide range of these rare digitized Garcia originals and offers high-quality framed prints for sale. You can view the Jerry Garcia Collection now.
Digitizing Jerry’s artwork proved to be an expansive and powerful process, as members of the Strax team were invited to key places where his work is being stored and given unprecedented access to the veritable treasure trove of material. “It was like walking into the private world of Jerry,” explains Singleton, “to hold in our hands so much of his original artwork, still in his art notebooks, was incredible.”
Singleton continues, “Beyond his art were original song lyrics to some of the Dead’s most famous songs…old Gold records…I truly got choked up looking at them in front of us, we all did. There were many silent moments between us that day as we kept discovering more and more.” As they dove deeper into his body of work, the Strax team began to increasingly focus on the stories surrounding the art, interviewing artists and the people close to them to discover the context and inspirations for the various pieces.
“Its remarkable how Jerry’s art seems to open a door to the past and bring it to the present for those close to him,” Singleton explains. “When discussing or looking at a work with a family member or friend, like Trixie or David Grisman, we are often rewarded with the story about why he painted a particular piece – where he painted it and what his inspiration was – in that moment you feel like he’s all around you, and its magical.”
By capturing and sharing these intimate interviews, fans and collectors are able to learn what the artist was thinking, experiencing, and feeling as they created their art as a form of expression. Strax is one of the first firms to combine this unique storytelling with the artworks themselves, creating a special experience for the collector and fan.
You can see Trixie Garcia speak about The Jerry Garcia Collection below:
As StraxArt continues to uncover and digitize the massive Jerry Garcia Collection, it’s a good bet that they’ll uncover even more amazing work and incredible stories, continuing to fill the ever-present call for insight on the mind, work, and legacy of Jerry Garcia and beyond.
You can view The Jerry Garcia Collection here. For more information on StraxArt and their various projects, head to their website.