A postcard with an image of "Catalina State Park, Arizona" printed on it is mailed to a friend in Prescott, Arizona, who then puts the postcard on his refrigerator door. Steve Roach, renowned ambient musician, visits this mutual friend, sees the image, and excitedly says, “That’s the image for my next album.” Steve shoots me an e-mail. A few weeks later, I’m sitting in his studio east of Tucson, talking about his new album and about how much he likes the image that he now calls 'The Ikon.' Steve asks would I like to shoot some flame spirals in his backyard sometime. Being a fan of Steve’s music for years, I’m trying to be cool, but it’s hard. I’m talking way too much. Hush, Stu, Hush. I see a row of a half dozen brightly painted didgeridoos leaning against his studio wall. Holy smokes. As calmly as I can, I say, “Sure, Steve. I’d love to come and shoot at your place.”
On the next Full Moon night, I’m in Steve’s backyard, with my Rollei medium format camera and my Zippo lighter. He has a circle of Anasazi pot shards in his deep back yard that faces the Catalina Mountains. His next door neighbor, a retired archeologist at the University of Arizona, gave him the shards and Steve has made a five-foot diameter circle out of the old pieces. I draw a spiral in the dirt and proceed to light-paint the night away in the soft moonlight. The music of the newly mixed tracks of Atmospheric Conditions plays from little waterproof speakers hanging from his back porch roof. I shoot a roll of 12 exposures, often thinking it doesn’t get much better than this.
“Ancestors’ Circle” is on the back cover of Steve Roach’s Atmospheric Conditions. The Ikon is on the front. Steve and I have lost touch over the years, but I hear he lives happily with his wife on horse property near Sonoita, Arizona. I bet he’s recording a new piece as we speak.
Bottom line: It just goes to show that if you send a postcard out into the world, you never know what opportunities will fly back your way.
From my book Flame Spirals: Journeys Through Nocturnal Photography (c) 2011 Stu Jenks.
The cover of Steve Roach's Atmospheric Conditions album.
From June, 2021: Steve and I hadn’t seen each other in years. We ran into each other at the 2019 All Souls' Procession in Tucson, where he was the music for the night and I was one of the photographers of the event. We first saw each other at rehearsal the day before. We hugged hard and laughed loud. It was really nice to see him.
We are both old men now. I'm just happy we are both still alive and still making stuff. It's a good thing. That Sunday night in 2019, Steve did a wonderful job filling the sonic space and I got a few good photographs for the powers that be.
Steve and I do what we do, make what we make. We are both compelled to do so.
I've often said, "If I didn't make art, I would commit crimes. Misdemeanors mind you, but crimes nonetheless." I'm not really joking.
I listened to Atmospheric Conditions recently. I holds up. So do these photographs I think.
Thanks Steve for what you did 20 plus years ago. You buying the image rights for your album was no small thing. It truly helped my art career. And it was a blessing to photograph in your back yard that night in 1999. Thanks, man.
Keep your lamp trimmed and burning.
#stujenks, #steveroach, #flamespirals, #nightphotography, #spirals, #goodfolk.