Death Cab for Cutie Pomona 2004 - Tara McPherson

Artist: Tara McPherson
Venue: The Glass House, Pomona, CA
Date: 4 November 2004
Size: 16 x 23 inches
Edition: 300

Available:
framed in The Gig Gallery store
for sale or trade at Expressobeans
Uncut Proof on eBay
 

 
One of the classic Tara McPherson posters from the pre-gold rush days of modern rock poster collecting, this poster is a beautiful piece of graphic art exquisitely printed with silver metallic inks by Diesel Fuel prints in Portland, OR. 

McPherson's characters always have an air of damaged innocence, and this one is a particularly good example: arms full of lost hearts, sad eyes focused on the tragic casualty lying bleeding on the floor, while just out of sight, a caged heart drips blood in her path and is carried away somewhere she can't follow.  Or perhaps the bird and the bees are bringing it to her, as if the carnal knowledge they carry can heal (or hurt) whatever pain it is she's trying to bury beneath her benevolent rescue attempts. Whatever the meaning behind it, this image captures the mood of the music as well as any poster I've ever seen.

Though not quite as sought after as the work of artists like Emek or Aaron Horkey, Tara McPherson's catalog has its own special appeal, and there is no question that she is one of the heavyweights of the modern poster scene.  Her crossovers into fine art and comics have expanded her audience as well, and most of her older posters, this one in particular, are extremely difficult to locate, and almost always pricey.  If you "get it," though, you know that her style is so distinctive, it's impossible to resist.