BEYOND THE BEATLES: JOHN LENNON'S ART AVAILABLE IN KEY WEST

From a self-portrait sketch to a never-before-released ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ drawing, Ocean Blue Galleries, 109 Duval St., offers 50 to 60 limited-edition prints of John Lennon’s artwork July 5 and 6. CONTRIBUTED

Sure, you’ve heard “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” but have you SEEN it?

The song, of course, is one of 73 that John Lennon wrote for The Beatles, but it’s also a drawing, also by Lennon, showing a bespectacled figure in an A-line dress floating above a field.

That drawing, along with dozens of others by John Lennon, are now on display and available for sale at Ocean Blue Galleries, 109 Duval St., Key West. Celebrations of the never-before-released, limited edition prints by John Lennon will take place at the gallery Friday and Saturday, July 5 and 6, from 2 to 7 p.m.

“I’m always shocked by how many people, including some diehard Beatles fans, don’t know about the art component to John Lennon’s career,” said Daniel Crosy, the Los Angeles-based art representative who has been working with Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, for the past 15 years, releasing Lennon’s drawings and handwritten lyric sheets to the art-, music- and peace-loving public.

“Yoko had been releasing some of John’s prints at pop-up galleries and art shows for years, but recently wanted my help in bringing it to the fine art world, and Ocean Blue Galleries is a perfect fit,” said Crosby, who had worked previously with the gallery owners Amber and Jay Shaffer. “The estate of John Lennon has a connection with Key West given its legendary open-mindedness and welcoming atmosphere. And listen, let’s be honest, John Lennon knew how to get his party on, too.”

Source: Mandy Miles/keysweekly.com

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