MUSIC IS LIFE FINE ART POSTER

If you’re a musician or someone who simply appreciates the power of music to enhance and change our lives, then you know what this shirt means. I for one cannot imagine life without music. It gives emotional depth and resonance  to all that we do. It fuels the spirit, guides our moods, gets us through tough times, gives us insight, makes us happier and healthier. It’s also scientifically proven that it makes us smarter.

I’ve been in a number of bands ever since junior high school playing my three chords and trying to share ‘the truth’. One of my ‘life rules’ is that everyone should be in a band regardless of talent or ambition. It’s just plain fun to make music with friends and to create something collectively. 

My pen and ink drawing is loosely based on Hieronymus Bosch’s ‘Ship of Fools’ painting from 1490. I’ve altered it dramatically of course and added a lot of Southeast Alaskan touches. You might recognize a few of the characters in the salmon decorated boat. This was originally intended as a poster for the Alaska Folk Festival held in Juneau every year, but the committee chose an alternate design of mine. I always liked the composition of this one and finally had the proper amount of time to spend on it.

Grace Freeman did the incredibly rich digital coloring.