Blotter Art By The Shakedown Gallery

What is Blotter Art?

Blotter Art is a unique and legal collectible! Blotter Art is one of the world’s most important (and misunderstood) forms of folk art. Blotter Art started out as the artwork on the paper that drug dealers used to distribute LSD. The various designs were used as a sort of calling card to distinguish a particular brand. After some time, art lovers began to understand the value of this historical art form and collect and preserve the unsaturated artwork.

The History of Blotter Art.

Since the turn of the century, blotter art collecting has expanded rapidly, going from being an underground hobby shared by a private circle of enthusiasts to being a rather widespread and exciting new collectible. A collection begins with the purchase of the first piece, and once you start you will truly be addicted. The original collector and scene maker of blotter art is Mark McCloud, a San Francisco artist and former art professor. His collection started over 30 years ago. Today he has over 400 framed prints and thousands of unframed sheets.

In the early days blotter art could only be obtained with LSD already on it. McCloud bought these sheets, matted and framed them, and hung them like fine art. Ironically, it was initially quite difficult for McCloud to collect the undipped (and hence legal) sheets of art, making him both an art collector and a potential outlaw due to his interest in this unique form of folk art. But soon McCloud began to produce his own images and the bulk of his collection shifted to completely legal blotter. Through Mark McCloud, blotter art was promoted at galleries and exhibits, earning him awards and accolades. In 1987 the San Francisco County Fair gave him a ribbon for his "unusual but timely" exhibition. National Public Radio gave McCloud exposure, and he subsequently won grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and others. The Following year, 1988, McCloud hosted his Cure of Souls exhibit at the celebrated Psychedelic Solution gallery in New York City. No other individual has done more to promote the form.

If you or someone you know is interested in underground artwork, psychedelic artwork, or acid folklore, you will love collecting LSD Blotter Acid Artwork. 

Common Blotter Art Motifs

The art found on blotter has evolved over time.  Everything from religious icons to inside jokes to television characters have made their appearance on blotter paper.

Common themes include:

• Portraits of Psychedelic Rock Stars (Jimi Hendrix, Shpongle, Jerry Garcia, etc)
• Images by Visionary Artists (Alex Grey, Emek, Jeff Wood, etc)
• Images of other Psychedelic Luminaries (Albert Hoffman, Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary, etc)
• Album Covers
• Cartoon Characters
• Religious and Cultural Iconography
• Aliens and UFOs
• Geometric Patterns

Blotter Art Sizes

 The Blotter Art prints on this site are frequently 7.5 inches by 7.5 inches, perforated into 900 quarter inch squares. Rare,signed and collectible Blotter Art prints available through The Shakedown Gallery may vary widely in sizes. Please inquire about the size on any purchases of rare prints. (Our rare prints will be priced and listed separately and not be eligible for the Bulk Discount prices, etc.)