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LOBH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOSHUA LEVY - PART 2 |
Awhile back, LOBH conducted a special interview with Joshua Levy, the designer of the Oh! Gravity album cover. We discussed the cover art, skulls on a beach, the Doo-Dah man, Jon's love of Picasso and many more topics of interest. The interview went extremely well, and while I knew Joshua was designing the inside of the CD, I didn't have any plans to interview him again.
But then Oh! Gravity arrived in the mail. WOW. The artwork that decorated the inside of the CD blew me away...it was intricate, imaginative, complex and thought-provoking. I knew I had to schedule another interview with Joshua right way to get (once again) the story behind the art. Joshua was kind enough to oblige and the following interview took place! Enjoy!
Land of Broken Hearts (LOBH): Thanks again for conducting yet another interview with us! Since our last interview, I took a look at all your ink drawings on your site and I noticed your ink drawing titled "Clan of the Waterwheel" was included in the album art. How much of the art was pre-existing work and how much was brand new?
Joshua Levy: Probably about 50/50- Originally the package was to be a digipak with a poster that slid out the side, but the label ended up taking it back to a jewel case. I had been illustrating the poster as if the cover art was twice the size and filled up the entire bottom with a fold in the middle...re-illustrating at the 11th hour forced me to use more pre-existing art than I had planned... but it ended up SOOOO much more intricate and a LOT more fun. You are actually getting more than double the amount of art.
LOBH: The artwork is SO complex... how long did it take you to draw?
Joshua: It seems like a lifetime ago already. The cover took the longest...the band was very specific on how they wanted to appear. After that it all came together quickly...I'd say about 2 weeks all together.
LOBH: The thing I like about the art is that I notice something new every time I look at it. Are there a few hidden things that you stuck in that we should look for?
Joshua: Ahhh, there is soo much in there...not sure what you see and what will take you a few days/weeks to see...Chinese Dragons, Mickey Mouse Soda Pop, lots of hidden lyrics or titles, Space Invader type aliens, Hawaiin skull rocks, surfers getting swallowed up by big fish...all that good stuff...I think you can really just use your imagination and things start to take shape!
LOBH: I can guarantee I'll spend many an hour studying it! What is your favorite part of the artwork?
Joshua: My 3 favorite sections are repeated on the flipside-all of which was hand drawn in ink- that's not a font kids!
A. The American Indian "Gravity" dream catcher, with sixties eyeball headband, chicks, and emotional elephant.
B. Big Fish swallows surfer, creates big wave and kicks up skull rocks onto the beach.
C. Bird in flight, eye of God, in a frame above my name.
LOBH: So actually HAND WROTE all the words? That's not a font?
Joshua: Everything except the lyrics were all hand written in ink- it was a challenge cause they kept changing the credits!! Like 5 times...
LOBH: What was the Switchfoot guys reaction to your work?
Joshua: They have repeatedly said it is their favorite album art so far! Thanks guys! I am too having fun with it, finding hidden things I've long forgotten about.
LOBH: I know what you mean! I love it because you've got the CD to listen to and that's great, but you also have the art that you can just spend hours looking at. It's like a double feature! One of the portions of the artwork that really caught my eye was the whale that you mentioned above. What is the significance of that drawing?
Joshua: Ahh big fish mentioned above....just got back from Hawaii and started back into the album art, and that piece came to me...says that we're not always in charge and bigger things in the world can have their way with us- you think you are riding the wave of life, so smooth and in tune... enough to make Kelley Slater jealous- and bam! the wave gets you and life takes an unexpected turn.
LOBH: I noticed you have included a lot of ladders and eyes in the art. What does that symbolize?
Joshua: Ladders all go back to Chutes and Ladders...the ups and downs of life. The eyeballs- well- they can mean a LOT of things- the governments watching Big Brother scenario- or maybe there is just so much to see in life that you really have to have eyes everywhere to soak it all in....or maybe the eyes represent all of your senses and intuitions....is that guy staring at me from behind my head...or maybe I'm the short kid on the block- like exotic animals that have the big eyes on their wings to scare away predators.
LOBH: I noticed all the song titles are worked into the art...does the rest of the artwork relate to parts in the songs?
Joshua: Everything that's in there relates to the tunes in some way...it's an entire universe in there and the album is life.
LOBH: What is one thing about the artwork (either the creation of or the artwork itself) that would surprise people?
Joshua: It is all done with ink on paper scanned in- and shrunk all the way down- the actual drawings are a lot bigger and then collaged together. At some point, if there is enough interest, I will have a showing of the unused art, as well as the pieces in their individual forms...most likely in NYC. If anyone is interested in buying the originals that make up the big collage please contact me through my website.
LOBH: What is something that you want people to take away from your artwork?
Joshua: I just want them to have some fun while they are listening to the record...escape the ordinary day and sit back and get lost in it all.
LOBH: And that is exactly what I plan on doing right now. Joshua thanks again for your time! I hope you have a great holiday!
Joshua: Have a good one and Happy New Year to the entire Switchfoot community!
Interested in checking out more of Joshua's work? Click here! joshualevy.com
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