About the Cover: When I Was the Wind
Curious about the atmospheric blue backdrop on the cover of When I Was the Wind?
It’s a portion of a large-format painting by Utah-based artist Cody Chamberlain that’s part of his Bird of Prey series, which draws on the wild and elemental forces at work in the natural world of the American West. Cody is particularly interested in representing the experience of exploring those desert landscapes—capturing their “stark and savage beauty,” their “unapologetic exposure of the life cycle,” the profound encounter with time and mortality to be found there, and the power of that recognition to unite us.
Author Hannah Lee Jones has this to say about the work and why it felt so right for her book:
Like many works of art that haunt, Bird of Prey #1’s distinguishing quality is what it leaves unexpressed that is nevertheless felt. I chose it for this cover because it reflects so well my journeys and discoveries in the wilds of Utah. I sought something that would represent and reinforce visually the wind that appears so often in my poems, beginning with the white wisps across the canvas, which recall the cloud/wind figures that appear in some Chinese classical paintings. This piece seemed to lend itself almost supernaturally to the task. The circle of bird profiles completes it for me, with its reminder that life always finds a way of perishing into one thing: more life.
Find out more about artist Cody Rex Chamberlain’s work on his website, and follow his progress and process on Instagram @codychamberlain__art.