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Gary Grimshaw Biography
“If he hadn’t been the poster artist for the
counterculture, he could have been its poster child.”
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Quote: Michigan’s 100 Greatest Artists and
Entertainers of the Twentieth Century Listing Published by
The Detroit Free Press |
Gary Grimshaw is a graphic artist of exceptional talent who has
an extraordinary history and character; meeting life on his own
terms and often against the establishment. He was born in Detroit,
Michigan in 1946 and graduated from nearby Lincoln Park High School.
His Grandfather was a designer at GM’s Fisher Body Oldsmobile plant,
his Dad a mechanical engineer. Marjory Grimshaw instilled a love of
books and music in her young son Gary who loved to draw cars and
comics and considered himself a writer. The oldest with two younger
sisters, Gary left home at an early age but continues to be close to
his sisters. He has created art work professionally since the age of
twenty - that’s four decades of music-related graphic art and
counting. In 2011 just months after returning home from a serious
health odyssey, Gary worked on the Concert of Colors poster and
several PJ’s Lager House designs. In 2012 he began a licensing of
his work in earnest; partnering with Detroit Urban Design Studios.
Laura Grimshaw, his wife of twenty years, closely contributes to
keep Gary’s past body of work in the public eye.
At the start of his career Gary became well known as the Grande
Ballroom artist and later as the MC5 artist. These works stand out
as the centerpiece of an enormously prolific output of art from the
mid-1960’s to the late 1970’s. He became part of a dynamic
collective of intellectuals, promoters, poets, artists, musicians -
people that spent many years together in some form or another and in
different circles of interest. For instance, as a Vietnam veteran he
was an anti-war activist and a key player in the White Panther
Party; he worked to reform unfair law and unjust incarcerations. His
contribution was through art and his art inspired and energized the
people. He was a member of Trans-Love Energies and The Rainbow
People’s Party. He worked on newspapers, magazines, did posters to
advertise music events, did record album covers. Gary worked with
Underground Press Syndicate icons The San Francisco Oracle and the
Ann Arbor Sun. Gary has just completed a book with Leni Sinclair
that documents this celebrated era in the history of Detroit. It
features a sample of his enormous output during the first fifteen or
so years of his career and dynamic photography of his friend Leni
Sinclair and is called “Detroit Rocks!”. Back in the late seventies
he also worked with the legendary rock magazine Creem as an
associate art director. During this time he and his then-wife had a
son named Alan Morgan Grimshaw. Gary’s son continues the Grimshaw
art and design tradition with his own career.
In December 2011 the Ann Arbor District Public Library celebrated
the 40th Anniversary of the Free John Now! Concert featuring John
Lennon in great style. The poster for the original concert is one of
Gary’s most popular images. For the Ann Arbor events Gary drew a
commemorative poster by hand. A group of Gary’s friends from the
time organized a Hill Street House Reunion gathering and Gary was
able to reconnect with many. The newspaper The Ann Arbor Sun,
originally The Warren Forest Sun is electronically available at
freeingjohnsinclair.org thanks to the Library’s great effort.
In 2012 Gary’s work with re-purposed images has taken center
stage; classic Grimshaw designs getting an electronic restoration
and new colors for a new purpose. He began this practice many years
ago when he restored a flyer that was originally a mimeographed
work; black ink on colored paper; he created and colored a digital
file and enlarged it to the size of his other posters. The image
“Love-In Detroit” is now one of Gary’s best selling and most
colorful.
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Gary embraced the idea that he could
re-visit and update choice pieces from his archives. |
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At the annual Früt
Reunion in Mt. Clemens, Michigan (2011) Gary began by taking
a previous Früt poster
design and making a new artwork using the vivid colors not
possible for him to do back in the day. 2011 is the red
background; 2012 further refined by Kristi Pesick and is the
teal. That’s a Leni Sinclair photo of Gary on the original
one-color piece from 2/23/1968; he is shown next to the
projector presenting the light show at the Grande Ballroom.
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Gary re-purposed a vintage FUGS/Sly and the
Family Stone/MC5/Psychedelic Stooges poster for a
performance to benefit the Honoring of Bluesman Boogie
Woogie Red and provide for his grave marker in 2012.
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The file with Gary’s
hand-lettering ready for the next step. |
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The final design also uses a
fine Leni Sinclair photo; a perfect pairing with the art.
It’s vintage design put to new use; thus the term
re-purposed. A measure of hard work on digital restoration
is behind a newly printed vintage Grimshaw design. Even if
simply restored to be reprinted close to the original
design, a restoration file is necessary and means hours of
exacting work on a computer screen. When re-purposed, a new
digital design file altogether is created from the best
possible restoration file. |
In April 2012 Ed Sanders gave a performance at Wayne State
University and spoke about the original concert where the FUGS
headlined over some amazing bands. He said the FUGS learned some big
lessons at that performance. One can only imagine! He talked about
how being the headliner on a Detroit bill was not always to the
advantage of the headliner! His band, the FUGS, was headlining SLY
and the FAMILY STONE, THE PSYCHEDELIC STOOGES as well as the MC5.
Just another weekend of performances at the Grande Ballroom. What
amazing history. That early period was a very colorful and exciting
time in Gary’s life too. His prolific output for the organizations
he was an active part of inspired an entire tribe; simply that and
his Ballroom images alone are to this day an awe inspiring body of
work. He has left a forty year career in art and much of it was
history making. There are Gary Grimshaw scholars out there; many art
students comment to Gary and Laura that they are “taught his art” in
their graphic arts class at the college level. Gary Grimshaw is a
celebrated artist across the globe. His work is well respected,
recognized and honored.
In 2012 Gary’s Grande Ballroom contribution is highlighted in a
documentary about the Grande Ballroom which opened in 1966 and where
Gary got his first art job; the first show for his buddy’s band. The
artwork is The Seagull. The film is a loving history about the
people of the Grande and Gary has his moment of fame. Working with
the director he re-purposed artwork from a Ballroom show into new
art for the film “Louder Than Love The Grande Ballroom Story” by
Tony D’Annunzio with editor Karl Rausch. It has been published as a
promotional poster for the film.
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He started with the poster nicknamed “Fisheye” from a Grande
Ballroom show 10/20/1967 featuring the house band the MC5.
Gary did many logos and images for the band; Rob Tyner, the
lead singer, was a friend from childhood and an inspiration
for Gary’s art and life. Gary dedicates his book to Rob
Tyner and Gregory Irons. |
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Gary is pleased with the results of his re-purposed
restoration posters. It brings him back into a community of
support as he counts on others to help make his projects
happen. Similar to the teamwork during his commune years,
others do a part to get Gary’s art out to his fans. Kristi
Pesick has been his main graphic support, doing an
outstanding job; his wife Laura Grimshaw manages the
details. Jay and Audrey Kreper helped out at art shows
during summer of 2011 and Len Beste has always supported
Gary. Gary still has the artistic vision. He continues to
have a knack for graphic arts, to say the least; his talent
still shines. |
GARY GRIMSHAW IS AN AUTHENTIC ORIGINAL DETROITER
Additional history of
Gary: In 1988 Gary moved from Detroit back to Ann Arbor (he left
Detroit for Ann Arbor originally in 1973) where he worked as art
director for Art Rock Gallery. Gary then joined Art Rock’s move to
San Francisco and spent 14 years living in the City by the Bay as
well as in Oakland, California. Gary continued to create art
freelance and for a few years he and his wife owned a little art
shop called PaperSong. In 2004 they made Woodbridge Historic
District in Detroit their new home, coming full circle to the
neighborhood that Gary spent his very influential twenties and
produced such a great body of art, beginning in 1966.
Gary spends each day
healing from a lost year of his life and is grateful for being a
Veteran of the United States Navy and for the healthcare he receives
at the John D. Dingell VA Hospital. He appreciates all the angels
who helped him pull through a life-altering period of time. That
list of Angels includes many dear friends from the Grande years, the
San Francisco years, the Ann Arbor years, the Detroit years and even
an original Navy buddy. A generally reserved individual, Gary
sincerely appreciates the support surrounding him.
His work has shown at
the Detroit Institute of Arts, The Toledo Art Museum, the College
for Creative Studies, the Flint Institute of Arts, The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, The Eastern Michigan
University premier art gallery; just to mention a few; and he has
enjoyed recognition in print and in various documentaries as well.
His Seagull design makes an appearance in a Johnny Depp film, Dark
Shadows by Tim Burton. A list of mentions and reprints of his works
in publications is not possible; the big watershed for Gary’s career
came with the publication of a huge book called The Art of Rock
(Abbeville Press, 1988) which is generally available as a mini book;
and also an update on music posters published by Chronicle Books in
2004, called The Art of Modern Rock.
His website is a work in progress:
garygrimshaw.com See Facebook for his fan page
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