Iron & Wine

The Folk band Iron and Wine has released multiple albums. Lead singer Sam Beam has taken it upon himself to design the cover art for multiple released albums under Iron & Wine. Singer Sam Beam wanted to create a harmonious link between the music and the cover art for his albums. The picture above is the cover art he did for the release of Iron & Wine album Our Endless Numbered Days, title based on one of the albums lyrics. In this image you see a self-portrait of artist Sam Beam lying in a grass covered field. The brush strokes are similar in thickness, and are stylized along with the center figure being Sam Beam. By creating brush strokes similar in a vivid movement creates movement allowing for the viewer to move freely along the cover. In addition to movement the lines create a sense of harmony, linking humans to nature. Sam Beam completed this self-portrait as a way of creating a tangible environment he imagined for the song and the message of the album. As this is a cover art piece, it’s easily portable based on its ability to be seen on a CD to various online music sources. This allows for anyone to be able to see the artwork of the album. I think the depiction of the cover art of this album looks incredibly beautiful. The brush strokes of this stylized depiction of his self-portrait, and the grass in the back. The thick lines that create the figure and background are similar in thickness; this creates a sense of harmony between humans and nature, illustrating a kind and positive message. Although this album cover is incredibly beautiful and unique, perhaps the only difference I would have made would be increasing the thickness of the text on the cover. With using a natural cursive text, if not used properly it could create a rather illegible appearance. Overall this album cover is extremely beautiful and brings a smile to my face, it upholds a level of uniqueness that can be found in the sound of Sam Beams voice to the acoustic and soothing sound of the instruments.