2014 marked an incredible year for PhanArt. Not only were incredibly successful PhanArt shows held in Chicago, Las Vegas and in Miami on January 2, the website and logo were redesigned and plans are in place for a greater 2015 with more PhanArt shows amid a growing brand. Great thanks go to Kyle, Alex and Nate for their contributions towards the redesign this past year, Kelley for handling things on a day to day basis and Chris P, Jim, Chris S and Taylor for helping out on the site and at shows. This site could not be possible without you.
Once again, through donations of artists and fans alike, PhanArt raised nearly $4,000 to benefit The Mockingbird Foundation, bringing the total raised since 2009 to nearly $19,000 with a couple of fundraisers to come that will push the total well past the $20,000 mark.
Below are some of the best Phish inspired phan art of 2014. Included are honorable mentions plus the top 14 of 2014, with links to buy where items are not sold out.
This list was compiled based on feedback received through the site, on tour, and through Facebook and Twitter. Fans were asked in the past month for some of the best Phish related (non-official) art of 2014 and they responded. I took all suggestions into account and looked at the list and came up with the top 14, as well as honorable mentions.
Remember, the Phanart made in 2014 was amazing and the following is just some of the best. If you think something was overlooked, share what was missed below in the comments section below. Make sure to support these artists and continue the great tradition of the PhanArt community that continues to grow each year.
Oh, and there will be a PhanArt show in Chicago on July 5th, a change from past shows as this show will highlight and feature Grateful Dead inspired art from artists across the 50 years of the Grateful Dead. More details to come soon.
Honorable Mentions of 2014
Wingsuit Condom by Chris Nesbit
Terry Werner’s Dick’s Stamp Poster Set
Philly ‘Boy Mann God Shit’ Poster (artist unknown)
Paul and Silas shirts by Brian Kirk
The Top 14 of 2014
#14 Southern Run/SoCo shirt by Lane Phlexner and Mark Reynolds
This shirt was seen at the 8 southern shows on Phish’s Summer Tour. Combining the famous southern liqour and tour dates made this a quick seller, one that was requested by many fans during and after tour. This is one of those tour shirts that you’ll see for years and think ‘Damn, I wish I picked that one up back then.’
#13 Darin Shock Couch Tour 2014
With Couch Tour being a viable replacement for going on tour (shout out to children and responsibility!), the phrase has become its own marketing tool for bands and artists alike. State of Shock Studio’s “Couch Tour” is spot on with the view of how fans enjoy the experience from their own homes. Check out detailed photos on Shock’s website. Fall variants and Couch Tour shirts are available as well.
#12 Serlo Icculus 1.0
Mark Serlo brings Icculus to life with this pin. Seemingly etched from stone, Icculus resembles the Nome King from Return to Oz. 
#11 Scottie Chapman “Your Trip is Short” stickers
Take the Batman slapping Robin meme and add in a contradiction between fan bases and you have a hilarious sticker. Add Trey to the ‘Core Four’ and this sticker has a second wind of smart hilarity, although not all will get the ‘Your Trip is Short’ reference. Either way, this sticker is a trip. Order one by emailing rusticambiance@gmail.com
#10 Jon Rose’s Dick’s Print
This poster is thick with ink and was last seen dancing to “Dick’s Simple” near the soundboard. That’s how strong a poster this is – Jon Rose once again made an incredible poster to commemorate the fourth year of Phish at Dick’s.
#9 Ariane Davis Seven Below
A wonderfully inventive snowflake pin with great symmetry to represent the theme of “Seven Below”.
#8 Isadora Bullock SPAC Fuego
Isadora continues a great run over the past few years with the SPAC Fuego, a vibrant and eye-catching linocut that was in high demand, leading to shirts being printed in the fall with the now iconic design. The edition of 150 sold out this summer amid great demand.
#7 Wookles Shooter/Weapons pin sets
Smart art means getting creative and these are some of the smartest art of 2014. Six-shooters (LE 150 each) with bullet-specific-designs under the bullet holes, combined with bullets (LE 100 each) that contain a theme (band member nicknames, animals, etc…) make the bullet/shooters by Wookles a winner. But Wookles went a step further with his weapons sets (LE 150 each), adding relative weaponry to accompany various songs or onamonapia to create complimentary sets of pins that were immediate hits.
#6 Otto SPAC
Otto had a pretty good year among his various artistic endeavors, seen here, and among them is his SPAC print. This gorgeous poster features an equally gorgeous girl dancing and looking up the to heavens, draped in the red white and blue. This frame job captures the beauty of the print and the weekend all at once.
#5 Jay Rizzi/Cat Zachar Orange Beach 2014
This poster caught my eye leaving Orange Beach on August 1 for multiple reasons – the detail, the waves and the ink/paper combo. Details are worked subtly in throughout the entire print, all the way down the curls of the waves. Using a combination of water color, pen, ink and digital media and printed on metallic linen paper for an illustrious yet surprisingly thin combination that was snapped up by a lucky few in an edition of only 42. Rizzi’s Fall Tour prints were quite the detailed hit as well.
#4 Sam Sutton/Dave Bangert “JEMP Truck” slider pin
Created based on one of the final and lasting memories of 2013, Sam Sutton takes the JEMP truck, incorporates the band’s setup in the middle of MSG on 12/31/13 and added in sliders that allow the band to rise up from inside the truck, much like the stage itself rose up once the truck’s roof was blown off. Fun fact – this edition of 100 sold out in 28 seconds.
#3 Jiggs “Martian Monster” shirt
Jiggs has come up with a few vintage poster and shirt designs for the Halloween shows and ‘You’re About to Blast Off’ is one of the best. Jiggs explains how he came up with the design: “It all started when I was pretending to work for the Phish Bill and I created the “They Attack”/Hitchcock mock up. The rest of the ideas just flowed from “What if these Phish songs were advertised as their own movies?” And with that, you have Jiggs’ “Martian Monster”, “They Attack”, “Your Pet Cat” and “The Dogs” available now.
#2 Andrew Bryant and Josh Lang “Knife in Lights” pin
This pin collaboration from Andrew Bryant (Band in Lights) and Josh Lang (Pin Me Down) mixes Bryant’s ‘Band in Lights’ design along with a three dimensional aspect of lights that swing out from an interior shell ala a Swiss Army knife. Quality and an inventive approach that matches well with the design.
#1 Brian Bojo – Phifty-Two Weeks
Top honors this year go to Brian Bojo for his year long effort to create 52 unique pieces of Phan Art. The 52 pieces make one broader piece of art, combining mediums and time, leading to a broad expression of the influence of Phish’s music and community. Bojo has created a lasting art series with Phifty-Two Weeks. A gallery of some of his 52 weeks can be seen below with the rest visible at phiftytwoweeks.com.
Congrats to Brian and all the Best of PhanArt 2014!
