And Another Heads Up....

Once upon a time when Jeff and I were without our own press, posters we were doing were being printed at other facilities. A print shop in San Francisco was one of these print houses. Without getting into the details of the situation or naming names, there were several factors at work, and the printer printed an unknown number of posters beyond the set number for which we paid. It was brought to our attention a few years ago that those prints were being sold off to dealers. We contacted the printer requesting to purchase the posters at the per poster price we had paid for them when they were printed, but obviously they were getting more from the dealers, and refused to sell them to us. Anyway, these prints are showing back up on ebay. They are not signed or numbered, and we will be shutting down auctions through our VeRO account when we see them. We will be checking daily.

We've long had a notice on our web site about these posters:

Attn. Collectors - There are unsigned copies of some Low Brow Ink prints circulating that were sold by the contract printer we paid to print them. These are possibly misprints, are not signed, numbered, or considered any part of the "official" limited edition.

If you have purchased one, please accept our apologies for a situation beyond our control. The list of possible offending prints is as follows:

DC_9901 DC Studio Martin/Wood
DC_9902 311/Nation Martin/Wood
DC_9903 Danzig/Samhain Thief/Wood
DC_9904 Gregg Allman Wood
DC_0001 ICP LBI
DC_0002 SBOHC LBI
DC_0004 Jack Black LBI
DC_0005 Rev Horton Heat LBI
DC_0006 Nashville Pussy LBI
DC_0008 7 Ft Politic LBI
DC_0009 WSP Columbus Wood/Gex
DC_0010 Jonny Lang LBI
DC_0012 Kahiki LBI
DCS_001 Kottonmouth K Wood
DCS_002 Robert Cray/KWS Thief/Wood
DCS_003 Impotent Sea Snakes Gaither
DCS_004 Patti Smith Thief/Wood
DCS_005 Twistin Tarantulas Thief/Wood
DCS_006 Less Than Jake Thief/Wood
DCS_008 Misfits Gaither
DCS_009 Candy Snatchers Gaither
DCS_011 311/Incubus Wood

Just a Heads Up.....

Drowning Creek, BMorg & Burning Man, LLC will be shutting down any auctions for this print on Ebay. Here is an excerpt from a rant Jeff typed yesterday when we found out the prints were being sold. I have edited the original text a wee bit for brevity's sake:

I'm pissed. It came to my attention that several individuals have put the Burning Man prints we sent out free with their orders up on ebay. These are from the artist edition, not the playa edition. It seems the people who attended the Burn and got one on the playa knew the meaning of "gift" and is hanging on to theirs. The artist edition prints are the ones creating the problems, meaning some of the people who received them in orders are flipping them.

I know I have no control over the aftermarket. It often drives the price on prints. I don't necessarily care for secondary market sales, but they are a fact of the collecting market. I accept it, but it doesn't mean I have to like it or tolerate in certain cases.

It's the rock poster business after all, and people have flipped posters since the days of Bill Graham, but I do have control over what goes out in Drowning Creek packages.

No future Burning Man prints will be given away as freebies with orders or in future subscriptions. If you want one, find me on the playa.

I just got off the phone with one of Burning Man's lawyers, who was very nice and had nothing but good things to say about my work and the studio. I will say he was even gracious and hated making the phone call. He was very complimentary of the Burn poster and what I did on the playa, but informed me that they were seeing the artist edition prints showing up on ebay, and the merchandising arm of BMORG was getting pissed that people were ignoring the requests not to sell them. They knew it was not the playa edition, but the one I was giving away to my NON-BURNER customers as an incentive who had no idea what they had in their hands, and more importantly seemingly didn't care, and saw it as an opportunity to make some quick cash. I made a mistake by letting Non-Burners get them as an incentive.. I explained we used about 50 prints as an incentive to raise money for the trip and included them in our yearly subscriptions. He totally understood and didn't rail me about it. He has to protect BM's policy of no merch sales with their logos, but it was still a mistake on my part to use them as an incentive, even if the intentions were honorable. All I could do was apologize to them and say that it would never happen again. It won't. He accepted the apology and once again complimented on the work. He was extremely nice. No threats of lawsuits etc., he was happy we sent them a stack for the Arts foundation. He knew I was trying to do something special for my collectors, he was just disappointed that they were showing up on ebay. He was pissed that NON-BURNERS were selling off their prints as soon as they got them, and so am I.

The little cash we took in on the incentive program actually didn't amount to more than a few hundred dollars, enough for a few tanks of gas. The rest I borrowed. It ran into the thousands of dollars. It was the best money I ever spent. I have no regrets, and will be back there next year. So for those who want a Burning man print from this studio...I'll see you on the playa.

This has made one of the happiest experiences in my life (giving away 1000 BM prints to people who really appreciated it and letting those who couldn't be there get an artist edition print) unpleasant, tarnished it and turned it into an embarassment for me. Thanks, I'll never forget that. In retrospect, we should have spelled out prior to sending them out that none should be sold on ebay. That was our mistake.

In the future:

BMORG, Burning Man LLC, Black Rock Arts Foundation and DCS will be ending every auction that hits ebay with one of my Burn prints. All are fully authorized to do so. No whining or bitching if your auctions get ended. I am VERO verified and will wield the power as I see neccesary.

From now on, should the studio produce anything that has "strings" attached, we will spell it out.

Not to be Outdone....

Well, ya can't post a pic of one shop kitty without posting the pic of the other.... Lemmy was outdone that Sid had his moment of celebre without him, so meet Lemmy. Yup, that's right... Sid & Lemmy, the only2 bass players a girl needs.

Links, Links, and More Links.....

Well, I guess it's been a long since I had time to work on our Links page on our web site. Lots of outdated stuff, and lots of stuff I needed to add. I still have more to go, but that's about all my eyes can take tonight.

Welcome Pipe Creek Posters!!

"High in the hills of Humboldt County, California, there really is a Pipe Creek - existing not only as a tributary of the Eel river watershed but as a state of mind, set in a rural landscape."

Welcome Pipe Creek Posters as one of Drowning Creek's recommended associates... well Pipe Creek has been an associate for a while now, but I have simply been remiss in adding a link to our site. As most of you know, we wholesale posters to a very select few, so in interest of endorsing those folks, we'll be adding a list of where to purchase authorized prints as an FYI for our customers. Many times if we sell out of a poster here are our location, you may still be able to pick one up at Pipe Creek or one of the other galleries to whom we have sold posters.

Marc, owner of Pipe Creek, is a stand-up fella, and he'll take care of you if you place an order with him! Check out the other art on Pipe Creek like the beautiful Redtail Hawk Woman by visionary artist Mykol Blackwell. Mykol's are can currently be purchased in sets of note cards with envelopes.

Awwww... Isn't He Cute?

Meet Sid. I thought he was cute too until the Great Flea Battle of 2006. Every year when we leave town to vend over the summer, I have to deal with a flea explosion when I get back... not unmanagable, just really annoying. This year has been worse than others because we took the trip to Burning Man, and because we have not had a really cold winter in a few years. Oh well, we love the little furry flea carriers, so I guess dealing with the flea plague must be done. BTW, if you want to see REALLY cute, visit Cute Overload for a real treat!

Anyway, just wanted to drop a note here to say that I am working as fast as I can to correct any "issues" or other order oriented stuff, and at the same time working on our house, and trying to clean the shop from having things just get shoved in boxes and put on a shelf over the last 5 months. Did I mention I still have not unloaded the whole trailer from our trip out west? Please be patient with me as I am in the shop alone again.

I am trying to decide which day to do a release on posters next week... when I get that info, I'll update the blog, and send a newsletter to ouur mailing list. If you're not on the mailing list, you may want to sign up. I send one letter a month, and I try to include all studio announcements there. We don't share our list with anyone, so if you've been holding off for that reason, then ease your mind, Francis. The link for the mail list is on the main menu of the DCS web site.

As If We Don't Have Enough to Keep Up With

Check out Jeff's & my blogs and shit on Tribe.net. If you're a member, ask us to be your friend! The links are on the right in the link menu.....

Symbiosis Gathering This Weekend

Here's a new poster Jeff just completed for the Symbiosis Gathering this coming weekend of Sept 21-25 in California. The title of the piece is "Balance and Harmony." The poster will be for sale at the event.

Thanks to Bosque and the Gathering crew for asking us to do the poster.

Please drop by and see Kris D do some amazing live art. We wish we could be there!

8 Weeks to Amsterdam!!!

Woohoo!! We will be staying on a houseboat this year in a cozy little canal off the beaten track. We've always wanted to do that since we started going to Amsterdam, and this year we decided to take the plunge. Those boats are so freaking cool, and it will be a treat to see Amsterdam from water level this time.

In other Cup news, Jeff will be collaborating on the 19th Cannabis Cup poster with Alex Grey. High Times will have a signing one day with both artists at the event.

Jeff and I will be attending this Cup with Nemo Boko and his lovely wife Emma. It should be quite a good time. Nemo, Emma, and we finally got to meet in person at Burning Man, and it was just scary how parallel our lives are!! It will be good to have friends to stay with in Amsterdam this year.

Handy EB Guide on Shipping Prints

If you've ever wondered just what is the right way to package a poster for shipping, but wasn't sure who to ask.... there's a help section listed on the ExpressoBeans web site just for you! Selling posters is only part of the equation; getting them to their final destination safely is the rest. This is the best detailed shipping instructions on the web!

Changes in the Studio

Well, as we enter a new season we also enter a new phase in the studio. For years Jeff & myself have poured every waking minute into the studio and our work. With the exception of the working vacations we've taken, i.e., festivals, and other work-oriented trips, we've not really left the studio. Our house is still in an uninhabitable condition, and we both need to exercise. We've talked and talked about how to make the studio run more efficiently so we can work on the house and pay more attention to our health and have made a few changes accordingly, but it's time to make even more. The changes will be subtle, and most of you won't even notice, but I'd like to take this opportunity to list a few.

䴢 We no longer have a payment option for checks or money orders. I end up putting these into the accounting program, and then having to void them 99.9% of the time because payment never gets sent. It messes up my bookkeeping, so I eliminated it for all future new customers. I will accept checks & money orders from current customers in good standing.

䴢 I have removed our phone number from the customer emails and the web site. Please use email for questions about orders. I prefer to have everything in writing in regards to orders, and when folks call I have a bad habit of writing important things on backs of envelopes & misplacing it.

䴢 Orders will be processed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays when we are in town. Please check the blog for dates we will be out of the shop and won't be able to process orders. If we are out of town, don't write me to ask where your order is... we'll get to it as soon as we get back. I promise.

As we further define our work policy I'll post the changes here. Thanks!!

Pope Shady Backflash Performs Nacho Communion at Black Rock City

In the First Sacred Nacho Ceremony in the Black Rock Desert, Pope Shady Backflash is pictured above administering Nacho Communion at the Chapel Saturday afternoon. Body of Christ with Cheese, and Blood of Lamb with a hint of lime..... According to our sources, this will be a yearly ritual, location and time to be determined when the Pope is sober. The Pope may be visited in the link above.

Umphrey's McGee South Bend Poster

OK, I know I'm loading a LOT of stuff on the blog today, which should be an indicator of just how far behind I am on getting news up!! This poster is from the Umphrey's McGee South Bend, IN gig this past Friday night, and from what I understand, there were still a few left over after the show. I will try to find out when/if UM will post those on their merch page for inquiring minds. Do you see the leprechan?

Derek Trucks Band and Tour Info

Well, in all of the flurry of activity this summer, I have been a bit remiss in posting this info.... better late than never, eh? Above is the album cover Jeff did for the DTB's last studio album release, Songlines, late last winter. Since the release of the album, the art has also been used as stage backdrops on tour, and as the basis for the design of the band's live DVD release of the recording from Chicago's Park West appearance on January 8th of this year. Both the album and the dvd are well worth picking up. Starting the 16th of this month, Derek will be appearing on tour with Eric Clapton on his 2006/2007 tour dates. We'll be catching the show in Gwinnett on Oct. 14!!

Perpetual Groove Fall Tour Poster

Be sure to look for the newest Perpetual Groove poster for sale at the venues during the band's fall tour. Check the PGroove web site for tour dates and locations, and stop by the T.I.P. Forum for the latest chatter with the PGroove family! We hear there's a new album coming soon, too.....

The Man as He Burned

Ahhhhh..... the memory of this Burning Man will linger long with Jeff and myself. We went expecting nothing, but found so much. We already have plans for next year, and a theme camp. As the plans develop, I'll post them.... and I'll post more photos in the coming days! Thanks to all of you who wished us well on our trip..... I believe all those good vibes manifested in many wonderful ways for us.

New Posters Coming Soon!

Above is the poster created for Klipsch Audio Technologies' 60th Anniversary. A lot of hours went into the creation of this one! We should have a few copies for sale on our web site soon, along with a new Perpetual Groove, Acoustic Planet, and a couple of other goodies. Join our mailing list to get the latest updates on additions to our web store!