A Cautionary Song

(Acrylic on MDF board)

This is an illustration for the Decemberists track "A Cautionary Song" from their albulm "Castaways and Cutouts" for the D+AD Brief this year. Originally I was going to illustrate the song "The Crane Wife" but after a few paintings I decided to change the song for something a little more simple.

"A Cautionary Song" details a mother's need to prostitute herself to sailors to make a living and to care for her son. It's quite a dark song but it's also quite humourous and upbeat at the same time due to the sarcastic ending. With the song I wanted to illustrate the desperate situation of the woman and the powerful and dominant presence of one of the sailors.

I think this image is possibly my most unsettling and disturbing images to date.