PACIFIC VIBRATIONS SILKSCREEN FINE ART PRINT

The Story Behind the Art — Rick Griffin, 1970

In 1969, Rick Griffin returned to Southern California, reconnecting with the surf culture that had helped shape him as an artist. By then, Rick had become one of the defining visual voices of the psychedelic era, creating landmark concert posters and artwork for the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and other influential musicians. But surfing had always been part of his DNA.

When legendary surf filmmaker John Severson approached Rick to create the poster for his forthcoming film Pacific Vibrations, the two were bringing their creative worlds back together. Severson had first recognized Rick's talent as a young artist working for Surfer magazine, where Rick's iconic Murphy cartoon helped define the visual personality of a generation of surfers.

The creation of Pacific Vibrations would become a deeply personal undertaking.

Rick initially completed a poster design, but after reconsidering the work, he painted over the entire piece and started again. According to Severson, the second version took another couple of months to complete. What emerged was something extraordinary.

At the time, Rick and his wife Ida were welcoming their second daughter, Adelia, into the world. Her birth, which took place without a midwife present, was an experience that left a profound impression on Rick. In true bohemian fashion, he cut the umbilical cord himself with his buck knife.

That experience of new life found its way directly into the artwork.

At the heart of Pacific Vibrations is a beautifully rendered ocean wave, transformed into something far more than a depiction of surfing. The curling tube becomes a symbol of creation, birth, and the interconnectedness of life. The surrounding imagery seems to pulse with energy, drawing together the ocean, the natural world, and the mysteries of existence.

It is Rick Griffin at his best: part surf artist, part psychedelic visionary, and entirely his own.

Today, Pacific Vibrations stands as one of Rick Griffin's most celebrated surf-related images. It represents a remarkable meeting of two creative minds who helped shape modern surf culture, and a moment when Rick's personal life, love of the ocean, and extraordinary imagination came together on a single piece of art.

On November 7, we're bringing this remarkable piece of Rick Griffin's history back into the world with a new fine art print release.

Debuting at the @TRPS show in San Francisco on November 7, 2026, this special collaboration brings together The Estate of Rick Griffin and The Chambers Project with color by Miles Griffin.

Screenprinting by Monolith Press, Alameda, CA

Three limited editions:

Print Size: 24” x 36”