Warhaus

This project was created for a course on monotype printing as part of my studies. Warhaus is a solo project by Belgian musician Maarten Devoldere, also known for his band Balthazar. His second album under that name tells stories of love, lust and desire, songs as carefully crafted in their lyrics as in their sound. As a fan of the album, I set out to illustrate it in my own way: for each of the ten tracks, I created a monotype print, without naming the song, so listeners are free to find their own connection between image and music.

Having never worked with monotype before, I spent about two weeks finding my own approach, testing colours, papers and materials. The motifs grew out of what the melodies and lyrics evoked in me, after listening to the album countless times and studying every interview and lyric I could find. My technique involved applying linocut ink to a glass plate with a brush, then wiping it away from the edge of each stroke with a wider, dry brush, which created the gradients. I worked on cream-coloured, coarse recycled paper, which gave the lines extra texture.

The final piece is a collector's edition of the album: the vinyl record housed in a square box together with the ten illustrations, mounted on card. The cover shows a longing, outstretched hand, the motif for Love's a Stranger, a song about parting and a promise: Love's a stranger, until I see you again.