John F. Johnson (sold)
John F. Johnson (October 7, 1944 – January 23, 2017) was a Santa Cruz, CA. artist and illustrator. Having graduated from San Jose State University with a B.A. in fine arts, he worked as a cartoonist and graphic designer. In 1967, he established Teapot Graphics, an art studio located on the 3rd floor bellfry of a former church in downtown Los Gatos. Some of his most recognizable work appeared in the promotional posters of David Schiller's Sparta Graphics, including iconic show posters for Buffalo Springfield and the Jefferson Airplane. His designs represented the cultural scene of the late sixties, emphasizing fun, funkiness and a playful sense of humor.
The San Francisco Hippie Scene, Man.
Rare 1968 pictorial map of California, screen-printed on linen. This large and exceptionally groovy cartoon map depicts hippie-era California with sharp wit and a scenester's savvy. San Francisco and Los Angeles are disproportionately large, as are the mountains along California's eastern border. The sequoias of the north and palm trees of the south evoke the climatological variation of the state. Political variations are also alluded to: while San Francisco sports banners reading 'LOVE' and 'HAIGHT ASHBURY LOVES YOU,' Sacramento's capitol building is decorated with a traffic sign reading 'FAR RIGHT ONLY' while a billboard reads 'PAVE VIET-NAM.' Fishing and hiking scenes dominate the north, homey farms grace the middle of the state, while Southern California is dominated by burger joints, traffic-jammed highways, and smog alerts. The coastline is marked with naval bases and lots of beaches: Redondo, Manhattan, Topanga, and 'San Gregorio Nudist Beach: No Peeking.' (more details)