This work isolates a segment of the visible spectrum—blue, indigo, and violet—allowing color progression to define the structure of the form. Derived from the winged eyeball motif associated with the visual language of the Grateful Dead, the image shifts from symbol to perception.

Created for the final performance at Winterland Ballroom in 1978, the Blue Rose stands as one of the most distilled and resonant images associated with the Grateful Dead.

The composition reduces to a single form—a rose held within a circular field—marking a departure from the dense visual language of the earlier poster era. The image carries a sense of closure, grounded in the lived moment of the concert it commemorates.

In carving and painting this piece, restraint becomes essential. The form resolves through balance and space, with color supporting rather than defining the image.

Within The Eleven Collection, Blue Rose serves as a point of stillness—an image that gathers the work before it and holds it in suspension.