Wes Wilson was trained as a draftsman and took inspiration for his artwork from many sources. BG056 shows heavy African influence in the nonplussed expression of the mask fronting drumbeat waves of Moby Grape, The Chambers Brothers and The Charlatans.
There are three variations of the 1st printing postcard, all of which were printed using the "split fountain technique" prior to the concert.
1st printing A is purple and measures 4 15/16" x 7 9/16".
1st printing B ranges from pink at the top to orange to light blue at the bottom. It measures 4 15/16" x 7 5/8".
1st printing C is blue and measures 4 15/16" x 7 5/8".
When the Avalon Ballroom and Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium began to hold weekly dance concerts, Wilson was called upon to design the posters. He created psychedelic posters from February 1966 to May 1967, when disputes over money severed his connection with Graham. Wilson pioneered the psychedelic rock poster. Intended for a particular audience, "one that was tuned in to the psychedelic experience," his art, and especially the exaggerated freehand lettering, emerged from Wilson's own involvement with that experience and the psychedelic art of light shows.