More Barrier stuff!

ink on paper

Aaaaaaalright!

So I just finished the rest of the Barrier cd art.  My friend e-mailed me this week asking me for a few more things.  I'm glad I squeezed it into my schedule (i.e. crawled out from under a pile of books) to get it done because he seemed to be saying they'll be printing it all pretty soon!  Exciting!

I can't wait to see the final product and I'll make sure to post some pictures!

So if you don't remember, a few posts down is the cover art.   The tree stump is meant to be printed in the spot where the cd will be.  I love it when I lift a cd and discover a whole new piece of art under it.  I think it will look great with the tree stump.  Note that I had already mentioned (in the previous Barrier art post) how obsessed I had become with the idea of the passing of time.  The lines of a cut tree-trunk is a great symbol of this since each line represents a year gone by.

When I had finished drawing the (tedious) lines of the stump I remembered that sometimes tree stumps have these sorts of gashes in them.  I decided to add some and (in the spirit of the passing of time) give it a sort of clock-effect, with the gashes as the hands.  It's not meant to be particularly obvious, but if anything it should tap into the types of associations we make sub-consciously.  Unlike typical hands of a clock, they are crooked and multiple, which is in an effort to demonstrate the reality of time: not a singular calculated line but a much more complex and on-going interaction between past and future (which we understand as the present). 

It also seemed to me like these gashes were reminiscent of cuts- irreparable wounds caused by humans against nature... As if the single huge transversal cut wasn't enough of a reminder of the  human imprint on nature.  So basically, keeping with the theme I had discussed previously.  

The second image is for the back of the cd.  I was asked to draw a birdhouse in the corner and have the song titles laid out in the middle in the same font as the cover.  I don't know if I can call my hand-writing a font, but it was weird thinking about writing- only when I think about it does it look completely different than normally!  So let's just say it took a few tries.  I thought the idea of a birdhouse was fittingly ironic- a miniature version of human shelter- the irony kicking in when one starts to wonder why a bird would need to live in something that looks like a house when it is capable of creating its own shelter.  YET that was my initial reaction, other thoughts came to me, like the idea that maybe the birdhouse symbolizes humans seeking to live harmoniously with animals?  I'll have to ponder that one some more...  Definitely an interesting idea. 

Ok I should really get back to my European Continental Literature essay...  But first, a tomato sandwich!

Until next TIME! xo

-P.

P.S. A reminder that the art I've posted here was sloppily arranged to give the impression of cardboard- but I promise it will look much nicer when it's all done properly!  Ooooh that reminds me!  Thanks to a friend in montreal I will be getting some real 21st century art-making/fixing programs!  VERY excited!  

Bury your art?.. BARRIER art!

6 x 6, ink and paper

Hiya folks!

Here is the newest commissioned artwork for my friend's band Barrier.  They're from Montreal and are producing some great music so I was obviously glad to help them out.  The instructions I was given for this CD cover was: an Oven bird that looks like it's out of a 1930's natural history book, the band's name and the title of the album.

I was inspired by a photograph of an Oven bird hanging out on a branch (thank you Google image) and just went from there.  I really liked the way his head was turned... I went through a lot of images and the position of the bird in the one I picked I thought was more evocative than the tons of running Oven birds (they sure love to run around!). 

 The art will be silkscreened with black ink on a cardboard-type of paper (which is why I tinted the image using my extremely limited iPhoto - does anyone want to buy me Adobe? eh? eh?).

I was torn between two kinds of fonts for the title and showed them both to the guys... Majority rules and they went with the cursive.  Originally I had hand-drawn the "Barrier" part but now that I've used a digital font I find it really gives it a nice clean edge.

Ok so I have been pretty obsessed with the idea of the passing of time for a while now and anything that evokes looking back, contemplating the passage of time, nostalgia, etc.  These themes are typically represented by objects like clocks, hourglasses, even by scenery, from lakes to trees losing their leaves, flowers fanning, etc.  The reason I'm bringing this up is because I thought the posture of this bird was so perfect because it's not looking forward, but backwards, which I thought was ideal for the title of the LP: What to Make of a Diminished Thing.  I never asked the guys what they had in mind when they named the album but I interpreted it from an environmental, as well as political, perspective.  Namely, looking back in nostalgia at what used to be all the while contemplating how to move forward in a positive way.  Note that if the bird's head had been down, the tone would be of defeat, whereas now the tone is of optimism.   

But that's only my interpretation of the title, after all it could be about a break-up?  Either way, I think the title is powerful and can speak to many things.

So I'm really happy that people are asking me to create art for them!  The Smart Mouth shirt was an absolute hit and I got SO much good feedback!  I'm really happy people are digging my art because no matter how many times I've been complemented on my artistic abilities I still feel extremely nervous showing my stuff... Fear of rejection?  Quite possibly.

I've got a few more commissions on the way, which I'm really excited about!!  BUT that being said, I'm really getting into the crux of things with school, so we'll see how much time I can actually devote to art-making.  I'll keep you posted.

Until next time! xo

-P.

P.S. Check out Barrier: www.myspace.com/reconstructingbarrier  ... They also have a blog but it seems to be down right now.  CHECK IT!