This cover work was a finalist in the 2019 Sir Julius Vogel awards, in the category of Best Professional Artwork.
Te Kōrero Ahi Kā is an anthology by members of SpecFicNZ —an association of speculative fiction writers in New Zealand. (Speculative fiction is a genre that encompasses all work featuring elements outside of reality as we know it. e.g. science fiction, fantasy, or the supernatural/paranormal.)
SpecFicNZ wanted a cover that represented the creativity of the book’s contributors. They had no thematic visual requirements. ’Te Kōrero Ahi Kā’ (which means ‘to speak of the home fires burning’) is a statement they used to communicate how their authors shine their own light on NZ’s literary landscape.
So I provided a design that illustrated this metaphor. I wanted to visualise the crux of the idea—which is not the fire itself, but of what comes of it: the swirling and changeable smoke. This is why a smoke formation is the central element of the cover illustration, representing the various narrative formations that come of NZ’s authorial creativity.
The smoky New Zealand graphic is also used as a text separator icon, in the interior pages.
