John Baizley: Gold & Grey art print
We are proud to announce the long-awaited release of a print project we had to keep under wraps for quite some time. From the mind, heart, and hands of the one and only John Baizley comes the official "Gold & Grey" art print!
This print is available right now in our online store!
Based on John's original artwork for Baroness' brand new album of the same name, not only is this arguably the finest art print we've ever had the honor of working on with John, but in the 10+ years we've been collaborating, this is the FIRST full-color single print we've ever produced of a Baroness album cover!
24 x 34"
16 color screenprint on 110lb Fluorescent White Crane's Crest Smooth 100% cotton paper
signed, numbered, and hand-embossed
edition of 249 prints
$197 + shipping
screenprinted by Ben LaFond
More about the artwork in John's words:
"To say that I'm excited, proud, and relieved to have completed Gold & Grey, the final painting in the Baroness chromatic album sextet is something of an understatement. I never actually thought this would happen. The half-serious / half-comical idea of titling our albums after colors came in 2006 when our original drummer, Allen Blickle, and I thought a fully rainbow-colored merch table would be hilarious and amazing, especially in light of the style of music we were associated with at the time, which favored more subdued hues and tones.
More recently, as the concept came dangerously close to reality, I was forced to deal with titling an album "Orange," which was the color we had always avoided based simply on my distaste for the design implications of the particular hue and the sound of the word itself. Up until two or three days before we mastered the record, however, we were still calling it "Orange." Fortunately, there was a lightbulb moment when I found some lyrical tie-ins with "Gold and Grey" and my original concept of using orange balanced against a largely grey background. Furthermore, "Gold & Grey" offered a more compelling artistic starting point as I began to draft the album artwork.
"When faced with the prospect of finishing a dizzyingly-byzantine 13-year unintentional concept, I felt obligated to further the bounds of my own mania / insanity by gently weaving a complete history of the band into the art through color, imagery, symbolism, and an homage to each former member of the band. This idea quickly showed itself to be an ambitious one, considering I began drafting the artwork two months after the date I had intended to start!
Several hundred hours later, I wrapped up what I had at one time intended to be a sleek, simply-designed image. The art itself contains layer on top of layer of information, many deeply personal stories and reflections I had during the process of making it. I pushed deadline after deadline, refusing to wrap it up until it was DONE and perfectly reflected the music it would represent. Ask anyone in the band, anyone at Burlesque, ayone who knows me at all, and none of this comes as any surprise (confirmed! - ed).
"At the end of the day, I know some will see this painting as a superficially satisfying garnish to our record, but if there are some who are more curious, the painting itself is a layer cake of Easter eggs, some of which are obvious, some of which I've already forgotten I painted. Either way, I hope there's something challenging and rewarding in this artwork. It was a massive labor of love to create, and I can't even begin to fathom how Ben and the wonderful folks at Burlesque of North America were able to reproduce this so beautifully through silkscreen.
This is the first time I've ever printed a full cover this way and it's as good a reason as any to start moving backwards and giving life to our former records as well."
This print is available right now in our online store!
Based on John's original artwork for Baroness' brand new album of the same name, not only is this arguably the finest art print we've ever had the honor of working on with John, but in the 10+ years we've been collaborating, this is the FIRST full-color single print we've ever produced of a Baroness album cover!
24 x 34"
16 color screenprint on 110lb Fluorescent White Crane's Crest Smooth 100% cotton paper
signed, numbered, and hand-embossed
edition of 249 prints
$197 + shipping
screenprinted by Ben LaFond
More about the artwork in John's words:
"To say that I'm excited, proud, and relieved to have completed Gold & Grey, the final painting in the Baroness chromatic album sextet is something of an understatement. I never actually thought this would happen. The half-serious / half-comical idea of titling our albums after colors came in 2006 when our original drummer, Allen Blickle, and I thought a fully rainbow-colored merch table would be hilarious and amazing, especially in light of the style of music we were associated with at the time, which favored more subdued hues and tones.
More recently, as the concept came dangerously close to reality, I was forced to deal with titling an album "Orange," which was the color we had always avoided based simply on my distaste for the design implications of the particular hue and the sound of the word itself. Up until two or three days before we mastered the record, however, we were still calling it "Orange." Fortunately, there was a lightbulb moment when I found some lyrical tie-ins with "Gold and Grey" and my original concept of using orange balanced against a largely grey background. Furthermore, "Gold & Grey" offered a more compelling artistic starting point as I began to draft the album artwork.
"When faced with the prospect of finishing a dizzyingly-byzantine 13-year unintentional concept, I felt obligated to further the bounds of my own mania / insanity by gently weaving a complete history of the band into the art through color, imagery, symbolism, and an homage to each former member of the band. This idea quickly showed itself to be an ambitious one, considering I began drafting the artwork two months after the date I had intended to start!
Several hundred hours later, I wrapped up what I had at one time intended to be a sleek, simply-designed image. The art itself contains layer on top of layer of information, many deeply personal stories and reflections I had during the process of making it. I pushed deadline after deadline, refusing to wrap it up until it was DONE and perfectly reflected the music it would represent. Ask anyone in the band, anyone at Burlesque, ayone who knows me at all, and none of this comes as any surprise (confirmed! - ed).
"At the end of the day, I know some will see this painting as a superficially satisfying garnish to our record, but if there are some who are more curious, the painting itself is a layer cake of Easter eggs, some of which are obvious, some of which I've already forgotten I painted. Either way, I hope there's something challenging and rewarding in this artwork. It was a massive labor of love to create, and I can't even begin to fathom how Ben and the wonderful folks at Burlesque of North America were able to reproduce this so beautifully through silkscreen.
This is the first time I've ever printed a full cover this way and it's as good a reason as any to start moving backwards and giving life to our former records as well."