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Alex Grey
Photo by Geneva Bumb, 2005
Alex Grey
Photo by Alex Grey, 1974
Erowid Character Vaults
Alex Velzy Grey
Mar 12, 2010 - Alex and Allyson in a severe car accident, expected to fully recover. See their Blog for more details.
Summary
Alex Grey is a well-know psychedelic artist. In 1975 at a party, two things happened that set the course of his life: he met the artist Allyson Rymland (his future wife), and he dropped acid for the first time. A year later, while on LSD together, Alex and Allyson simultaneously shared a vision of an infinite omni-directional love energy that comprised the foundational scaffolding of the universe. Experiencing themselves as part of this "oneness of God" caused the illusionary veil of the material world to drop away, inspiring them both to focus on the theme of transcendental spirituality in their art. (Alex depicted their shared vision in his 1981 painting Universal Mind Lattice, while Allyson depicted it in her 1988 painting Jewel Net of Indra.) In 1979, Alex began working on the twenty-one life-sized paintings that make up his Sacred Mirrors series. These images, which took ten years to complete, showcase his "X-ray" style of painting, exposing the material, mental, and spiritual realms common to all of humanity. Alex's more recent paintings depict transpersonal/cosmic beings composed from flaming grid-works of eyes.

As well as being artists, the Greys have dedicated their lives to creating sacred space. After a few successful years in New York City with the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors--their non-profit organization dedicated to the idea that art can assist in the positive transformation of individuals and societies--they recently purchased land to expand onto in upstate New York, where they currently teach art courses and sponsor gatherings. [Read full biography]

Author of (Books)
  • Art Psalms (2008).
  • CoSM: Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, with co-author Allyson Grey (2007).
  • Tool (2006).
  • Transfigurations (2001).
  • The Mission of Art (1998).
  • Sacred Mirrors: The Visionary Art of Alex Grey (1990).
  • Author of (Articles)
  • "LSD Turns 100 [sic]: Celebrating St. Albert and the LSD Revelation Revolution", Juxtapoz 63: 74-77 (2006).
  • "The Creative Process and Entheogens" (adapted from The Mission of Art), MAPS Bulletin 10(3): 8-11 (2000).
  • Author of (DVDs/CDs/Audio Cassettes)
  • Alex Grey and the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors -- CoSM: the Movie, DVD (2006).
  • WorldSpirit, with Kenji Williams, DVD and CD (2005).
  • ARTmind: The Healing Power of Sacred Art, DVD (2004).
  • The Visionary Artist: Visualizations for Creative Exploration, CD or audio cassette (2000).
  • Art as Spiritual Practice: The Art of Alex Grey, DVD (1997).
  • Editor of (Books/Journals)
  • CoSM: Journal of Visionary Culture, with co-editor Allyson Grey (2004 - present).
  • Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics, with co-editor Allan Hunt Badiner (2002).
  • Contributed to (Books)
  • Metamorphosis: 50 Contemporary Surreal, Fantastic and Visionary Artists edited by Robyn Flemming, featuring art by Alex Grey (2007).
  • Damanhur: Temples of Humankind by Esperide Ananas, featuring a foreword by Alex Grey, edited by Allyson and Alex Grey, published by CoSM Press (2006).
  • True Visions, edited by Massimiliano Geraci and Federica Timeto, featuring art by and an interview with Alex Grey (2006).
  • Moments of Epiphany by Michele Wortman, featuring a foreword by Alex Grey (2005).
  • Psychedelika: Kultur, Vision und Kritik by Wolfgang Sterneck, featuring art by Alex Grey (2003).
  • Psychonautische Landkarte: A Trip into Psychonautic Art by Claude Steiner and Radovan Hirsl, featuring art by Alex Grey (2003).
  • Ayahuasca Analogues and Plant-based Tryptamines edited by Jim DeKorne, David Aardvark, and K. Trout, featuring a poem about Terence McKenna by Alex Grey (2000).
  • Tripping: An Anthology of True-life Psychedelic Adventures edited by Charles Hayes, featuring art by Alex Grey (2000).
  • Drinking Lightning: Art, Creativity, and Transformation by Philip Rubinov-Jacobson, featuring art by Alex Grey (2000).
  • Highflyers, project coordinator Brian Parkes, featuring Alex Grey's art appropriated on a 1990 British rave flyer (1995).
  • Planet Medicine: Modalities by Richard Grossinger, featuring art by Alex Grey (1995).
  • The Mind by Richard M. Restak, featuring anatomical drawings by Alex Grey (1988).
  • Articles (About)
  • "Grey's Anatomy: Alex Grey's Sacred Mirrors" by George Petros, Juxtapoz 42: 26-33 (Jan/Feb 2003).
  • "A Journey into the World of Psychedelic Art with Alex Grey" by Eileen Porfido, Journal of Psychology and the Behavioral Sciences: The Founding Student Managed Journal for Student Research 1966-2000, Vol. 14 (2000).
  • Many additional articles about Alex Grey can be located at the Biography > Bibliography section of Alex's website.