The story

I first encountered Erica’s art at an exhibit during a music festival in Atlanta. At the time, she lived locally, and given our many mutual friends in the art and music scenes, it was surprising we hadn’t met before. Our busy travel schedules kept us from connecting in person for a few years, but when we finally did, we discovered a shared passion for inspiring each other creatively. I’m truly honored to collaborate with Erica on this piece, blending her beautiful painting with my photography.

The original photograph was taken off the coast of Maui in 2021 at the start of the Humpback whale migration. It’s a composite of two images captured ten minutes apart—a breaching whale and a rare halo rainbow, an optical phenomenon caused by light refracting through ice crystals in clouds. Often seen as a symbol of spiritual energy and hope, the halo rainbow adds a powerful element to the piece. Erica aptly titled our collaborative work Heaven’s Reach.