Suburban Avenger Studios

During the final decade of his life, Hawaii served as Jerry Garcia’s refuge. Following his coma in 1986, the Big Island provided him with a sanctuary away from the public eye, allowing him to rediscover himself and find solace in the untamed beauty of the island. Swapping Tiger for a scuba tank, Jerry’s underwater explorations introduced him to a world he often called “living theaters of psychedelia.” Diving partner Bill Kreutzmann once said that the world beneath the surface was “as psychedelic and far-out as anything we had ever seen during the Acid Tests,” and Garcia wholeheartedly agreed. The vibrant colors and intricate beauty of Hawaii’s coral reefs became a new source of inspiration for him in his music, as well as through the drawings and paintings he created later in life. For this year’s Bicycle Day release, I wanted to paint a portrait of an explorer—journeying into the depths of his mind in the ’60s and the depths of the ocean in the ’80s & 90’s. The curious Jerry in his twilight years, on the eternal quest of artistic discovery.

“To forget yourself is to see everything else. And to see everything else is to become an understanding molecule in evolution, a conscious tool of the universe.” – JG