Blotter art is an exceptional form of American folk art. It started around 1970 when drug dealers used sheets of perforated blotter paper, printed secretively, to drop liquid of LSD onto. It was easier to sell the drug this way as paper was significantly lighter than other mediums and could meet the mandatory minimum sentences set after LSD became illegal.
Dealers often put their brand names or logos on the product which served to identify a type of acid. These later became decorative iconic images which eventually transformed into a proper form of art. The only difference is that the contemporary perforated paper art is undipped, free of acid.
Nowadays it is a highly appreciated artform. There are many collectors in America and around the world, the San Francisco artist Mark McCloud is the most famous among them. Galleries, such as Luna Star Cafe in Miami or the Fuse in New York City, regularly showcase blotter art. There are numerous blotter art designers who create unique and stylish prints that tell the story of a once active psychedelic underground movement.
The designs vary from sacred images to the profane. Cartoon characters along with mystical symbols and musical imagery are other motifs. That allows seeing blotter art what it actually is - a genuine folk art.
