Shortly after the 1967 “Summer of Love,” artist Lee Conklin arrived in San Francisco with dreams of becoming a part of the city’s growing rock & roll concert poster scene.
He was quickly hired by promoter Bill Graham to design show posters for venues like Fillmore West and the Winterland Ballroom and would go on to sketch the iconic lion image that appeared on Santana’s debut album cover.
Credit Bo Walsh
These days a Lee Conklin original can go for upwards of $1,000 and this month the Haight Street Art Center in San Francisco is honoring the work of Lee Conklin with an exhibit celebrating his 50 years of Psychedelic Art.
"The bell had gone off in my head that I should be a poster artist and I went out onto Haight Street with my portfolio. I was there for the poster action. It was the art world that I wanted to be a part of."