A Tale of Two Paintings

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The artists responsible for the album covers for The Ropes and Scarlett Graham have a lifelong connection. Here is the story behind these two beautiful works, in the artists’ own words.

The Ropes — Album artISABEL STUKATOR

We know each other through Leann, of course, whom I’ve known since she was 20. So when Eddie was born, and watching her grow up, mostly on the island, it’s been interesting to see how much we have in common as artists and introverts. I’m really grateful for my relationship to both of them. It’s exciting to see Eddie at this challenging juncture in her life, when she’s ready to go to school to learn what she loves in this strange time of COVID.

I have no idea of how I made my image – it was long ago when I was still at art college. So close to the age that Eddie is now, but in different times. I loved exploring colour relationships and was interested in abstraction and formalism. There was always a spiritual quality to my work as well. I was influenced by Kandinsky’s work and his essay “Concerning the Spiritual in Art”.

 

Scarlett Graham — Fremantle — album artEDDIE CALNAN

I think Isabel covered how we know each other and such pretty well 🙂 I had some fun visiting her at Sheridan and listening to her teach a class once, and i’ve always looked up to her as an artist.

Scarlett’s been a really good friend of mine since we were very little and it was a huge honour to make her first album cover artwork. She told me she wanted “a sketch of herself” for it. I started with drawing out some ideas and then i realized that her album is very much about finding yourself and where you belong. One of her songs has the lyrics “and with my new friends, will i act the same?” so it’s sort of about finding your identity in different places. I chose to keep all the initial sketches and amalgamate them into one artwork, combining them sometimes in surreal ways. the drawings are taken from a variety of photos and videos taken in both Canada and Australia. I chose vibrant, fun colours that unite them all and express Scarlett’s personality.

 

Images below: Isabel and Eddie, 2016; Isabel and Eddie, 2002; and Leann.

Isabel and Eddie 2016
Isabel and Eddie 2002
Leann