
Artist: Dan Grzeca
Title: Stay Lit
Medium: 4 Color Screen Print
Size: 18 x 24 Inches
Edition: OPEN
Price: $35
*this is a very strong poster design
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Dan Grzeca is a Chicago printmaker, illustrator and founder of Ground Up Press, a studio he has operated since 1996 in the city’s Lincoln Square district. Born and raised in Illinois, he earned a BFA in drawing from Northern Illinois University in 1990 and began his career within the underground music scene, crafting short comic stories for vinyl inserts released by the punk label SKiN GRAFT Records. Those early experiments in sequential narrative taught him to marry bold graphics with tight deadlines, skills he later translated to concert posters.
Using scratchboard and dense pencil work, Grzeca builds intricate monochrome drawings that reference industrial landscapes, rural architecture and the human figure. Once satisfied with the line quality, he transfers the imagery to hand-pulled silkscreen editions, often layering translucent inks until the paper appears to glow. The result is a signature look that feels both vintage and contemporary: precise, rugged and quietly narrative.
His client list spans rock, jazz and indie acts and extends to craft breweries, magazines and boutique publishers. Annual appearances at SXSW Flatstock keep him in direct contact with poster devotees, while gallery shows across the United States and Europe have moved his imagery from merch tables to white walls. Whether depicting a lonely grain silo at dusk or a packed concert hall, Grzeca captures the hush before sound, inviting viewers to supply the music themselves.