While walking around and exploring the thermal pools, we came across a forlorn remnant of a tree. It seemed so desolate, all alone in the barren landscape. I had no idea how it managed to survive all by itself, left to point its barren limbs skyward with no other vegetation, dead or alive, in the immediate vicinity.
A black-and-white treatment of the scene seemed fitting, as the darkening blue sky contrasted beautifully with the lightness of the wood and the bleached earth around it.
Recently, our friend Tim Solook, an incredible drummer and composer, approached me for help with imagery for his newest CD, Changed Lives. Inspired by his reflections on going through the pandemic, he was interested in some dramatic imagery for the cover in addition to a shot of himself. After discussing it over lunch, I sent him a selection of images, and he immediately honed in on this one. Indeed, it became the full-bleed cover. It serves as a visual metaphor for the upheaval we all experienced. If you are a jazz aficionado, you should track it down; it’s very, very good.
