Roger Dean Originals Gallery
presented by:

Yescapade is proud to host the San Francisco Art Exchange, LLC in bringing an
exclusive exhibit of original Roger Dean artwork to our fan gathering.

Click to enlarge
Jim Hartley (l) and Theron Kabrich hold the Classic Yes silkscreen in front of the
San Francisco Art Exchange, LLC on Geary St.

Roger Dean has long provided the visual manifestation of the wonderful Yes music. From the early days of the Fragile planet and the excursion of the remants to her new home to the heavily evolved landscapes of the Ladder, Roger Dean has been identified with Yes music. He has developed a style of his own that is unmistakeable, and has helped define the science fiction aspects of progressive music. We were very excited to have hada variety of Roger Dean's works on exhibit, as well as a number of raffle and door prizes. The images shown on this page and elsewhere on the site, are among the many that are available at the San Franciso Art Exchange, and are examples of the work that was on display at Yescapade - Return to Konocti.

"Now we build the bridges that we walk upon together ..." This image of the arches is a fitting symbol of the band. The Keys to Ascension are to be found through our common ties, allowing life and love to flourish even where it looks impossible.

The Grand Prize of the day was a Roger Dean Limited Edition silk screen print of the YES logo used on Tales from Topographic Oceans. This print is an original silk screen, hand printed by Roger Dean and is his first silk screen edition. Signed of course by Roger Dean.

Yescapade raffled the item at a drawing held during the Yescapade. Don Rogers of Atlanta, Georgia was the lucky winner, and all the members of Yes signed the painting at Yescapade, making for a very excited Mr. Rogers!

YES

Screenprint, edition of 275
Printed on Somerset Black Velvet paper 280gsm
Paper size: 24 ź" x 33 ž" (62cm x 85.5cm)
Image size: 17 ź" x 28" (44cm x 71cm)
Autograph in multiple colors and dated

Click to enlarge

This logo was designed in 1972 and was first reproduced in monochrome on the album cover for Close to the edge. In 1973 it was reproduced again in these colors for a second album cover, Tales From Topographic Oceans. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London acquired both the original pencil drawings and the original color versions. The logo began as a complex puzzle in which many factors had to be considered. Yes was one of the first bands to have a visual identity that successfully tied in with the band and their image. The impact it created, particularly during the Tales and Relayer tours, was dramatic.

This Classic YES logo is an original screenprint. This means that it is an original work of graphic art. Roger Dean painstakingly created every screen personally. Each is luxuriously signed in dramatic manner by Roger in multiple colors. Only 275 have been created for sale to YES fans throughout the world. A substantial portion of the edition has already been sold.

Tales from Topographic Oceans has always been a favorite of Yes fans. This very abstract picture symbolizes many of the directions of Yes music, from the bands astrological signs to the images of evolving flying fish, pyramids and other archaeological features. There's even the hint of a Moorglade Mover hidden behind the rocks.

The Roger Dean Exhibit consisted of a variety of images evoking the visual impression of the band that has brought us together. The variety and quality of these unique pieces is unsurpassed. The San Francisco Art Exchange has more material than can all be exhibited at our special showing, so we recommend visiting their gallery when you are in San Francisco. Some of the artwork available is shown below. We didn't know exactly what the mixture of items was, ahead of time, but everyone was impressed and found the imagery fascinating. Check the review page for pictures of the SFAE exhibit.

When released in 1974, the cover of Yesterdays contained this enduring image of children enjoying the freedom of life everlasting. It created a bit of a stir, with its ethereal blue children. In this depiction, the more natural colors of the image helps it to be more connected to the Earth while remaining otherworldly.

A variety of Roger Dean items were available for purchase and as prizes of various sorts. We wanted to ensure that everyone could go home with some type of souvenir of this unique exhibit.

The striking image of the snakes and the riders challenging the forbidding terrain proved to be an exceptionally fitting image to the intensity found in the music of Relayer.

2002 has brought back a gathering we would not have otherwise expected, the rejoining of the Yes and Rick Wakeman. We felt that there could be no better time than to celebrate the work of Roger Dean, an artist we have grown to love as much as much as the musicians themselves.

As time has changed, so have the
symbols and images of Yes. The Dragonfly
made it's appearance in the late 1990s, and
has now become intertwined with the visual
images of Yes music. The vision of peace
and natural beauty that emanate from the
iridescent wings and tapered body of the
creature reflects the current direction of
the band better than any text could.

The San Francisco Art Exchange, LLC, an Authorized Roger Dean art distributor and dealer, is a premier purveyer of Fine Art, in business since 1982. From their gallery at 458 Geary, just off Union Square in beautiful San Francisco, they offer a wide variety of original paintings, sculpture, photographs, and drawings. They feature fine art from artists such as Alberto Vargas, Daniel Heide, Chen Bu, Boris Vallejo, and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones. The excellent work of photographers Eric Hayes and Carl VanderShuit is also on display. They also offer a variety of posters, books and other items. The San Francisco Art Exchange also provides international art brokerage services for clients ranging from art connoisseurs to first time buyers. Drop in when you are in San Francisco, you'll be glad you did.

Jim Hartley and Theron Kabrich with the silkscreen in front of four
Dragonflies inside the San Francisco Art Exchange

We want to extend a special thanks to Jim Hartley and Theron Kabrich from the San Francisco Art Exchange, LLC for this generous exhibit, and look forward to sharing our Yescapade experience with them. We also want to thank Jim Allan for the perseverance to pull this all together, and for the great photos and to Kyle and Margaret Henley for initiating the contact and Beth Kazinka for all her assistance. These folks all deserve a special round of applause for their initiative and professionalism.

Of course, every picture has to start somewhere. SFAE has a variety of pencil drawings, sketches and other preliminary work that led up to the classic pictures. Here, an early draft of the background of the Yellow City painting is illustrated.

© 2002, 2004 Roger Dean All Rights Reserved. Various images have other specific copyright dates. In all cases, refer to the description of the copyright notices as shown on the Dean website for details of the copyrights.

© 2002, 2004 Yescapade All Rights Reserved. Note that all images and text on this page are copyrighted by a variety of individuals and companies, including Roger Dean, San Francisco Art Exchange LLC, Robert Zorich, Jim Allan and Yescapade. They are here with permission. None of it may be used, uploaded, broadcast, or otherwise made available publicly using any media without the express written consent of the author or artist.