A dream project working with the Lush music team to illustrate and design the vinyl album artwork for their new Lush Spa soundtrack album 'Highlands' featuring incredible Scottish folk artists such as Julie Fowlis and Ewan Henderson.
I was given prompts such as highland scenery, mountainscapes, folklore, tradition and magic. On top of this, to feature the figure of the Cailleach - the Scottish crone goddess who oversees the land, especially the cold weather and winds. She is present in various forms in Scottish lore, and as a result, in our traditional music. She is associated with wild animals too - ancient ones such as wolves, and deer.
I wanted to create a sense of storytelling with the illustrations for the album, whilst following the lead of the lyrics featuring changing winds, the landscape and the Cailleach herself. As you open the album, you find yourself in the depths of night, as the Cailleach tears through the highland landscape on the back of a huge wolf. The wind that she controls billow across the pages. Next, you pull out the vinyl sleeve, and on it shows the Cailleach in another form the next morning. She is the mountain, and her long hair which feature in much of the folklore surrounding her, create the landscape. Her sacred animals, the wolf and deer, are in this scene too, as well as a tiny bothy.
The album also includes a 10-page booklet with the Gaelic lyrics and translations of some of the songs, accompanied by illustrations.
The vinyl also has an A and B side sticker with illustrations from the album artwork.
There is a full-size poster of the inner gatefold (the cailleach and the wolf) included inside, too.
'From the rolling heather meadows to the peak of a mountain, let this stunning album transport you deep into the Scottish Highlands, its rich history, ancient wisdom, traditions, breathtaking nature and unpredictable weather.
Like previous Lush Spa treatments, the Highlands features a bespoke soundtrack lovingly created by a handful of talented musicians deeply immersed in the themes of this unique piece of work.
The result is this truly transformative record blending traditional Scottish Gaelic Folk songs with cinematic soundscapes and deeply moving compositions, intertwined with Scottish native bird sounds featuring Golden Plovers, Osprey and Golden Eagles and a captivating interplay between the voices of Scottish Folk artists Julie Fowlis and Ewen Henderson.
This 12” record has been pressed on eco-vinyl at Seabass Vinyl in Scotland and comes with accompanying lyric booklet, poster and download code containing all album tracks from the record in digital format plus additional bonus tracks and an accompanying video of stunning Scottish Highlands scenery.'
