News
Matched Number Eric Clapton 2008 Tour Poster Set Charity Auction! Proceeds Benefit Crossroads Antigua
28 Jul 08
Updated 2 August 2008
The latest EC Summer Tour / Hyde Park matched print auction has ended. New items have been added to the continuing fundraising auctions for Crossroads Centre by EC Sales.
A unique opportunity currently exists for Eric Clapton fans, concert poster collectors and rock memorabilia enthusiasts to own an extraordinary item: a "matched number" set of limited edition art prints that commemorate both Eric Clapton’s Summer Tour and his 28 June concert in London’s Hyde Park. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction benefit Crossroads Antigua, an international, non-profit facility for recovery from alcohol and drug dependence founded by Eric Clapton.
In this special fundraising event, Eric Clapton Sales is currently auctioning a set of "number matched" hand-pulled prints from the "Summer Tour" and "Hyde Park" series by Firehouse Kustom Rockart. Only a few matched sets exist and all will be auctioned by Eric Clapton Sales on eBay to benefit Crossroads Antigua. Matched print numbers enhance collectibility. The latest matched set auction featured print number 30 / 1000 (Summer Tour) and print number 30 / 500 (Hyde Park Concert). Bidding ended on 1 August.
These auctions will continue until all of the matched sets are gone. These matched print sets will not be available elsewhere! (Unless, of course, they become available at a later date on the secondary collectible market). When a new auction is announced, the details will be posted on whereseric.com to alert fans around the world.
Each print in each limited edition measures 20" x 20". These are not mere concert posters, but works of art.
To commemorate the 2008 Eric Clapton Summer Tour, a limited edition series of 1000 prints from Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company were created. Firehouse Artists Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan chose to use Eric Clapton’s most famous guitar, the Fender Stratocaster "Blackie" as the predominant theme, with elements of his Gibson ES-335 to create the dramatic image. The 1000 posters in the edition are hand-numbered and signed by the artists.
To celebrate Eric Clapton’s 28 June 2008 concert in London’s Hyde Park, Firehouse Kustom Rockart created an extra special companion print. Limited to just 500 prints all made entirely by hand, its design complements that of the Summer Tour Limited Edition Poster. The Hyde Park Print shows a detail of Eric’s cherry red Gibson ES-335, which he purchased in 1964. The print design draws from the guitar’s headstock with the Hare Krishna stamp placed there by George Harrison. Design elements inspired by Eric’s "Blackie" are also included to complete the theme. Each poster in this smaller series is also numbered and signed by the artists, Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan.
All limited edition prints from Firehouse Kustom Rockart are crafted individually on rich papers using traditional hand printed silk screen techniques. Sperry’s and Donovan’s work is easily recognizable by their unique style of color theory, characterized by the use of metallics over striking colors. The metallic inks and extraordinary colour palette used by the artists is never done justice in photographs.
Previously, Firehouse Kustom Rockart has created several limited edition prints for Eric Clapton:
– Madison Square Garden Concerts 2006
– 2007 Australia Tour
– 2007 U.S. Tour
– Second Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007
All of these editions have become highly sought after by fans of Eric Clapton as well as poster collectors and rock memorabilia enthusiasts.
The Summer Tour Limited Edition Poster will continue to sold as an individual art print at all upcoming gigs in Europe in August. Single Summer Tour prints are currently available for purchase from Eric Clapton Sales. This item was previously available at all concerts in the U.S., Canada and Ireland. The Hyde Park Poster can also be purchased individually (see related links section below for details). But, the only way to get a matched set of both the Summer Tour and Hyde Park commemorative prints is through the eBay Auction by Eric Clapton Sales. Matched print sets will not be available at venues; prints will only be sold as individual items.
About the artists:
Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company – Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan – has created posters for Queens of the Stone Age, Madness, Jane’s Addiction, Supersuckers, Garbage, Bad Religion, Johnny Cash, John Lee Hooker, Lee Perry, Cheap Trick and a much sought after series of posters for Virgin Megastore (including Pearl Jam, Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, U2, Madonna, Limp Bizkit, Hole and Ricky Martin). Although the artists of the Firehouse, Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan, have worked with numerous major rock bands, they have maintained their street credibility by furnishing posters for such events as Incredibly Strange Wrestling, which mixes punk bands and Mexican wrestlers. They have created a body of work that is an eye-popping collection of the rock and roll posters and ephemera. Their rock poster art can also be seen in a beautifully illustrated 96 page book published by Last Gasp of San Francisco – "Eyesore: Recent Litter From The Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company." The artists were also included in Dennis King and Paul Grushkin in their book, The Art of Modern Rock.
About Eric Clapton Sales
Eric Clapton Sales is an eBay Store where all proceeds from items sold benefit the Crossroads Centre at Antigua. Everything sold in the online store is genuine Eric Clapton merchandise. Visitors to Eric Clapton Sales on eBay can purchase unique collectibles such as limited edition prints, backstage passes (unused from previous tours), tour programmes, catalogs, a variety of T-shirts, hoodies, caps, commemorative guitar pick collections and more! The available items change periodically. Many are "buy it now" items. Eric Clapton Sales ships worldwide.
About Crossroads Centre Antigua
The Crossroads Centre at Antigua is an international, non-profit facility for recovery from alcohol and drug dependence found by Eric Clapton in 1997. The mission is to provide quality care and treatment that is both affordable and accessible. In keeping with this, a foundation based in the United States and a charitable trust in the United Kingdom raise funds to help support those who are unable to afford treatment
Related Links
These items are currently available from Eric Clapton Sales on eBay as of 2 August 2008 as part of the ongoing fundraising efforts for Crossroads Centre:
New auction: Signed Limited Edition John "Crash" Matos Crossroads Serigraph #18 / 50 (Bidding ends 5 August at 09:24 PDT)
New auction: Cream Limited Edition Silk Screen Print (Magenta) by John Van Hamersveld; hand signed and numbered by the artist #11 / 50 This limited edition is different than the reunion posters for the Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden. (Bidding ends 6 August at 13:07 PDT).
Cream – 2005 Madison Square Garden Poster (Bidding ends 3 August at 12:41PDT )
Cream – 2005 Royal Albert Hall Poster (Bidding ends 4 August at 13:14 PDT – 6 posters available)
Cream – 2005 Royal Albert Hall Reunion Poster advertising ticket on sale (Bidding ends 3 August at 13:52 PDT)
New auction: Clapton – 2007 Australian Tour Poster (Bidding ends 8 August at 10:34 PDT)
Clapton – 2007 US Tour Poster (Available via "Buy It Now"; six posters available)
Clapton – 2008 Summer Tour Poster SINGLE PRINT (Available via "Buy It Now" thru 5 August at 10:43 PDT, 6 available)
Clapton – 2008 Hyde Park Poster SINGLE PRINT (Available via "Buy It Now" thru 3 August at 00:59 PDT; 3 available)
Visit Eric Clapton Sales – Eric Clapton’s OFFICIAL eBay Store for all other items including concert programmes, t-shirts, hoodies, caps, mugs, collectible pick sets and more!