Watch this year for the release of "Clouds and Fire", a new album by Christian artist Scott Riggan.
Scott and I have been friends for few years now and we spent several months with the graphic artist hashing over what his new album was going to look like. At first he was thinking of a '70's era illustration, then starting thinking about photography instead. The idea behind "Clouds and fire" was the Biblical account of God leading the Israelites through the wilderness of the Sinai peninsula by a pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night.
We talked about all kinds of possible illustrations, Scott wearing a parachute and falling through the clouds leaving a fiery contrail in his wake (get it, clouds and fire...yeah, Scott didn't like either). Scott with this backpack next to a campfire in the desert, resting after a long day of walking. It seemed that the journey that Christians travel was the predominant theme in our discussions.
One evening, he was telling me about some b/w photography he had seen of some musician doing just everyday stuff. Making scrambled eggs, hanging out watching TV, sitting by his stranded car in the middle of nowhere...and that's when it hit me...stranded car!
The idea was complex, but not obscure. The Israelites were on a journey that they had no control over, just a pillar of clouds and fire, and the God who was leading them to a promised land. The stranded car is the universal symbol of how we are NOT in control of our destiny at all times, and that our journey is not always our own.
We found "nowhere" somewhere between Middleton and Emmett, Idaho. It was the perfect location and yes, the Pontiac GTO was fully functional and not really stranded. (Thanks Kent!)
Check him out at www.scottriggan.com, and check out his music at www.indieheaven.com
