Ladies of the Canyon by Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell was a music icon from the moment she released her first album in 1967 to today, where her music is still appreciated for all she created it to be. Her 1970 release of Ladies of the Canyon was nothing short of musical genius. It was a slight change from her usual sound, but the album art of Ladies of the Canyon and its predecessors had more in common; they were all self portraits.

Before Joni was serious about her music career, she was a fine artist. She credits much of her success in music to her art. In a 1986 interview with BCC, Joni says that “My talent would have burnt out a long time ago, I think, as a writer and a musician if it wasn’t for the painting” (BBC, 1986).  She often saw herself as a painter rather than a musician even though her music is what brought her fame. She said that because she thought like a painter instead of  a musician, that was why people thought she was unruly (Brookesmith, 1999). Because of her incredible talent in fine art, Mitchell painted most of her album covers.

Ladies of the Canyon was a pivotal album in her career. She was in the midst of her relationship with Graham Nash which would lead to some of her most renown music, and she was living in Laurel Canyon, which is known for the many singer-songwriters that collaborated there in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Laurel Canyon is not only of great significance because of the influence it had on Mitchell musically, but because it inspired the cover art and the name of Ladies of the Canyon. The cover is a simple self-portrait of Mitchell and in the folds of her skirt you can see the hills and houses of Laurel Canyon (see figure 1). This represents the impact that Laurel Canyon had on Mitchell and this album.

The ownership of Joni Mitchell’s album covers was how she was in every aspect of her career. She was the one in charge of it all, even down to creating the artwork herself. Not many musicians can say they are creative in both music and art, but Mitchell can.

References

Brookesmith, P. (1999). Singing Her Palette: Reflections on Joni Mitchell's Visual and Musical Art. 

https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=960

BBC Archive (1986). 1986: JONI MITCHELL on the power of PAINTING | Whistle Test Extra | Classic Interview | BBC Archive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KTPMErSMFk