Alex Grey

Alex Grey (born November 29, 1953) is an American artist specializing in spiritual and psychedelic art. His body of work spans a variety of forms including performance art, process art, installation art, sculpture, visionary art, and painting.


 * Twenty-five years ago I took my first dose of LSD. The experience was so rich and profound, coupled as it was with the meeting of my future wife, Allyson, that there seemed nothing more important than this revelation of infinite love and unity. Being an artist, I felt that this was the only subject worthy of my time and attention. Spiritual and visionary consciousness assumed primary importance as the focal point of my life and art. My creative process was transformed by my experience with entheogens.


 * Due to its visionary richness, I think the entheogenic experience has great importance for fueling an artistic and cultural renaissance. By giving artists a meaningful experience and access to deeper and higher aspects of their soul, they are given a subject worth making art about. A worthy subject is an artist's most important discovery -- it's the magnetic passion that burns in their work and attracts them to it, and also determines whether they will attempt to evoke what is deepest and highest in their viewers.


 * Oscar Janiger's studies of LSD and creativity showed that many artists felt the work done while tripping or post-tripping was more inventive and inspired work than their previous work. Keith Haring, one of the most celebrated artists of the 1980s, credited LSD with stylistic breakthroughs that brought him to his own unique work. I feel the same way about my art. This doesn't mean I recommend sacramental drug use for everyone, but I do think it should be a legal option for all.
 * http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v10n3/10309gre.html


 * "I'd like to thank God and LSD and all the psychedelics for the beautiful visions of our infinite being."
 * http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/18/arts/a-night-to-honor-bands-that-jam.html