The colorful, trippy artwork of Killer Acid, a small local graphic arts company, is quickly becoming the new visual signature of Santa Cruz's psychedelic culture, especially after being featured prominently in the Museum of Art & History's new store.

Defining psychedelia as an aesthetic term can be challenging – much like former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's famous approach to defining obscenity with "I know it when I see it." In music, art, and literature, people often debate whether something qualifies as psychedelic without being able to express exactly what that means. Too often, the term becomes a throwaway phrase meaning "this was too weird and formless for me to understand without pharmaceutical help."

However, when you encounter a grinning cartoon cat with four eyes and three noses under the Killer Acid brand name, there's no ambiguity. If that isn't psychedelia, nothing is.

This distinctive grinning cat has become an increasingly common sight around Santa Cruz. It's the trademark image of Killer Acid, a small graphic arts company located on the Westside that sells T-shirts, caps, stickers, puzzles, clocks, posters, and more – all gloriously, unapologetically, and mind-blowingly psychedelic.

Killer Acid has been producing and marketing its goods in Santa Cruz for five years, but recently received a significant boost when the Museum of Art & History opened its new museum store featuring Killer Acid merchandise prominently. "The art is amazing," said MAH's executive director, Ginger Shulick Porcella. "When I first saw it, I was like, I want it all."

The creative force behind the Killer Acid brand is Rob Corradetti, a native New Yorker who first arrived in Santa Cruz in 2018 and opened his business two years later. As a graphic artist with strong roots in underground comics and punk music, he was doing well living on the East Coast. "But here, it kinda supercharged everything for me," he explained from his shop just off Fair Avenue. "It was sorta like the universe was, like, 'Yeah, this is where you're meant to be.'"

The universe apparently recognizes Santa Cruz's natural affinity for psychedelic art. While it would be too arrogant to declare Santa Cruz ground zero for psychedelic art, the city has strong credentials in this realm. It's the birthplace of the ubiquitous Screaming Blue Hand and home to its creator, Jim Phillips, along with his equally talented son, Jimbo Phillips. Additionally, Santa Cruz's ability to supply numerous Grateful Dead cover bands with loyal audiences certainly puts it in the conversation.

In New York, while working in the advertising industry, Corradetti had been a longtime fan of Jim Phillips and Santa Cruz Skateboards. However, if there's a foundational influence that shaped the kind of artist he became, he credits the zany surrealism of "Pee-wee's Playhouse," the cult hit children's show starring Pee-wee Herman in the 1980s.

Corradetti watched the show devotedly as a child, but later, as an adult, he had the opportunity to meet Gary Panter, the set designer for "Pee-wee's Playhouse." "That was probably my biggest inspiration," he said.

Corradetti's early artwork leaned heavily toward a punk-influenced New York aesthetic. The trippy California psychedelic vibe represented an entirely different world to him. "Coming from the East Coast, California is a different lens. I've always felt a little bit like a fish out of water."

Corradetti's art certainly displays a flair that longtime residents might recognize as reminiscent of 1960s-style counterculture. The vibe is playful, filled with twisted humor, bursting with color, and celebratory of 420 culture. Killer Acid markets items like a bucket hat emblazoned with "Mushrooms Are My Friends," and grinning, obviously intoxicated mushrooms appear as a recurring motif. Some of his stickers and posters are as densely packed with comically nightmarish imagery as a Hieronymus Bosch triptych.

While many Santa Cruz psychedelic enthusiasts approach the culture with an overly serious sense of spiritual ritual, Killer Acid goes straight for fun and irreverence. It's less Ram Dass, more Timothy Leary in its approach.

Corradetti himself, however, takes a more thoughtful approach to psychedelic substances. "People will say, 'Oh, did you draw that on acid?' Sometimes I do say yes, because it's true. But I use psychedelics pretty reverently. I use it as a creative tool."

The Westside headquarters of Killer Acid, located just around the corner from Verve Coffee Roasters, feels somewhat like Pee-wee's Playhouse – decorated with artwork and packed with entertaining items. Corradetti works alongside six other people here. Adjacent to the office is a small retail shop with irregular hours. The merchandising extends virtually worldwide, from doormats to underwear to Polaroid cameras. Killer Acid demonstrates almost as much creativity in its merchandising as in its artistic imagery.

The strategy is working effectively. Corradetti reports that Killer Acid processes several thousand orders monthly.

While Corradetti and his colleagues might take an anything-goes approach to merchandising, they are more deliberate with the art itself. "We think about it very intentionally," he explained. "[We'll say to each other], so what is this joke? How is this joke best served?"

As an artist, he constantly absorbs imagery and ideas, hoping that once filtered through his unique artistic perspective, something compelling will emerge. "I use the David Lynch mindset of finding inspiration and ideas, of catching the big fish, and letting things marinate to come back to it later," he said. "Sometimes I write something down, and three years later, I'll just have this moment. 'Oh yeah, that's what that comic was all about.' Or I'll look at an old notebook and be like, 'I know how to visualize that idea now,' and like it'll just pop into my head fully formed."

He doesn't hesitate to admit that cannabis and psychedelics play a role in his creativity. Even with the dramatic relaxation of taboos against some psychoactive drugs in recent years, operating in the world as Killer Acid still presents challenges. However, Corradetti isn't interested in promoting any particular message, pro or con, about using such substances – cannabis is legal in California, while some psychedelics like psilocybin have been decriminalized in Santa Cruz.

The message behind Killer Acid, if it has one at all, might be, according to Corradetti, "Explore your mind if you want, or don't. Maybe just enjoy these visuals because I've done it for you."

Corradetti has been drawing and doodling since he was seven or eight years old. He discovered early on that he was developing his own distinctive style even at a young age, though he was deeply influenced by "Pee-wee's Playhouse" and "The Simpsons." (He once met Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who purchased some Killer Acid merchandise. "I was like, 'Dude, this is making my whole life right now. Can I hug you?'")

Another significant influence was his grandfather, an engineer at DuPont who also embraced a playful side, always bringing gag gifts and novelty toys to his grandchildren. "You bring these weird novelty toys to a party," Corradetti said, "and after 10 times, you're like, 'OK, Grandpa, we get it.' But it's still kinda fun. And for me, some of that novelty has been lost."

Regarding future plans for Killer Acid, Corradetti, who lives near his shop with his wife and young daughter, is considering and planning everything from animated shorts to graphic novels. On a deeper level, as an artist, he's excited about where living in California generally and Santa Cruz specifically might lead him creatively.

"California has been good to us. And reflecting that back [in my art] is important. I feel like my vibe is here. And I'm always thinking, let me try to show people how I'm feeling about being here," he said. "California, especially in this political climate the past couple years, has gotten a lot of grief. Everyone's moving out of California. Blah, blah blah. But I'm like, California is kind of amazing. I will defend this place vigorously."