Album Cover for ‘Out Of The Blue’ by Antony Reynaert
I had the honor of creating the artwork for the upcoming album 'Out Of The Blue' by my good friend and amazing musician, Antony Reynaert!
While it was tempting to stamp one of my stylistic doodle art pieces onto the cover, I was drawn in a different direction. This project wasn’t about showcasing my art style, but rather about creating visuals that complement and align with the music's emotional depth and themes.
You can listen to the album on Spotify here: ‘Out Of The Blue’ by Antony Reynaert
Meeting Antony
First of all, let me take you back 15 years ago to 13 year old Bam and provide you with the story on how I met Antony that’s still grifted in my memory.
This is how me and Antony’s remarkable journey began:
As a little kid I often had to join my mom when she was visiting one of her best friends who lived nearby. One day during such a visit I heard heavy music playing upstairs. For a bored kid that could only sip his tea while listening to woman chatter, these rhythmic pulses were intriguing! When I asked about it, they let me go investigate it.
What I found upstairs surprised me. There was a punk with long black hair sitting inside a small broom closet whilst shredding a black guitar that had skulls on it.
Some moments in life you just never forget…
As I kept gazing at his shredtastic fingers, excitement started running through my veins. This was better than Narnia! I mean: WOW! His hand felt like watching a cracked-out spider run frantically back and forth.
His name was Antony, the son of my mother's friend. Two days later, I became his first-ever guitar student.
Our Journey
It's amazing how me and Antony’s paths have intertwined over the years and new chapters are still being written.
We’ve already shared some incredible moments, from flying all over the world together for guitar teaching events, to getting kicked out a strip club in Chicago where we had to hike the entire night back to our hotel. I’ll save that story for another time ;)
But while Antony breaths music, my relationship with playing guitar went more through ups and downs. I still pick up a guitar every day but there is a fine line between my love and frustration for the instrument. It eventually led to me not pursuing a career in music, but in art.
So when Antony began writing his new album in 2023 and requested my help with the cover design, it seemed like a destined synergy.
The Album Artwork
While it was tempting to stamp one of my stylistic doodle art pieces onto the cover, I was drawn in a different direction. Unlike Andy Warhol's seemingly unrelated banana depiction adorning The Velvet Underground's debut album, my undertaking was firmly anchored in the pursuit of unity and coherence. This project wasn’t about showcasing my art style, but rather about creating visuals that complement and align with the music's emotional depth and themes.
‘Out Of The Blue’ is the first album of a trilogy Antony is writing on the topic of transcending human suffering and chasing moments of bliss. In a nutshell, you can say it’s about transforming hurt into love. But I highly recommend listening to the entire album and taking a deep dive in the stories behind all the tracks.
The composition and scene I eventually came up with for the album cover takes the observer on that visual voyage from hurt to love:
Commencing from the left, the white stripes on the album cover mimic the dynamic imagery of a tempestuous storm in full motion. As they gracefully sweep from left to right, a gradual transformation unfolds, wherein the intensity of the storm slowly starts to mellow and ultimately calms down into a tranquil smooth breeze.
Final Words
As I wrap up this blog post on creating the album cover for Antony Reynaert’s ‘Out Of The Blue’, I’m filled with immense gratitude for the friendship I share with Antony.
Our journey from that chance meeting 15 years ago to collaborating on ‘Out Of The Blue’ has been nothing short of extraordinary. Our paths keep intertwining in ways I could never have imagined and I’m deeply grateful for it. Antony has been more than a friend, he's been a source of inspiration and a reminder of the beauty of following one's passion.
Again, I deeply encourage you to listen to 'Out Of The Blue' and take a deep dive into Antony’s profound music: Antony Reynaert Music
