The Improbable Worlds of Glen Wexler

Alone cello player sits on top a solitary pinnacle towering above a demon’s hole. Above her head, ravens circle. They’re watching her choreograph her last rites with each draw of her bow. A giant guitar is hoisted out of a pit in a desert mine landscape. Miners oversee the guitar’s unearthing. A beautiful woman’s severed head rests on the wastelands. Her closed eyes and decorated face tell the story of her last breath. All these improbable realities are narratives created by celebrated photographer Glen Wexler. Known for his concepts and creative skill with the lens, Wexler has had a long and storied career that spans decades.

- Kriss Perras

His narratives are both captivating and alluring. The incredible situations within his storytelling are a single frame destine to reside in the dark parts of your mind. Wexler is at heart a storyteller. He can spin a yarn in a still frame that’s such a fish tale you’ll either laugh, or scratch your head wondering is that real?

Malibu Arts Journal conducted a Q&A with Wexler to find out how he creates his outrageous worlds seen on hundreds of album covers. Some of his answers were surprising.

Q&A:

MAJ: How do you accomplish shots like the huge guitar rising out of the giant sand pit in Dig for Heaven and Earth’s album cover, or the female cello player seemingly sitting on an isolated pinnacle in Sold Our Soul from The Greatest Album Covers That Never Were from the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame exhibition, or the woman’s head sitting on top of the wastelands titled Beautiful Monster for Dilana?

WEXLER: With my narrative work, it’s a process that begins with pre-visualizing the idea. I’ll have a concept rendering created if I need to show a client, or engage set or model builders. The next step is deconstructing a complex or improbable vision into manageable elements to be individually photographed or modeled in CGI. I also use background images of skies and landscapes from my archives. The elements are finally seamed together in the post-production. Everything is planned in advance. I want to spend as little time as possible with the computer. I strongly adhere to the premise that the essence of the final image is created in camera.