Kevin Cooley: The Wizard of Awe

Kevin Cooley: The Wizard of Awe by Aline SmithsonMay 13, 2025

©Kevin Cooley, Cover, The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

Kevin Cooley has a long legacy considering light and fire, in fact, in addition to his fine art photography career, he photographs fires for major publications. So what happens when the person who documents fire, becomes the documented? Cooley’s own home was destroyed in the the Altadena fires as seen on his instagram. After evacuating, he left to photograph the destruction on both ends of Los Angeles…the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Altadena.

Another irony is that Cooley has just released a new monograph through The Eriskay Collection, titled The Wizard of Awe. It’s a difficult and fascinating story of another man’s journey with fire and smoke, a story that had unexpected consequences for a pyrotechnic junkie named Ken Miller.

The publisher states: Ken Miller is often referred to on the internet as ‘the smoke guru’. His expertise in manufacturing smoke generators for air shows and other industries has made him a respected pyrotechnicst. However, his journey has been marked by both brilliance and misfortune. Traumatised by a tragic accident that killed his business partner and best friend, Howard Snelson, and left him with severe burns, he turned to painkillers to deal with his physical pain and the guilt that consumed him. Despite these tragedies, Ken’s passion for pyrotechnics never waned. His property in southern Minnesota became a testing ground for his eccentric experiments, with burn scars and explosion craters dotting the landscape. This volatile world became the subject of a project that captured the essence of his life and work. Guided by Ken’s knowledge, Kevin Cooley (US) created three photographic series – Controlled Burns, Gathering Clouds, and Exploded Views – and extensively documented his visits to the rural farm, offering a surreal glimpse into Ken’s pyrotechnic world.

The story was eventually published as a photo essay in Popular Science entitled ‘The Wizard of Awe’. But the publicity proved to be Ken’s undoing. The article attracted the attention of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), leading to an investigation that revealed Ken’s continued involvement in the creation of smoke devices – a violation of federal law due to his previous convictions for manufacturing illegal explosives and possession of a firearm.

Throughout these legal battles, he expressed a deep sense of responsibility and remorse. He acknowledged his failures and the consequences of his actions. In the end, Ken was arrested and sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison, and faces a future without pyrotechnics. Yet he doesn’t blame Cooley for what happened, insisting that he saved his life by steering him away from a path of ‘bad choices’.

The Wizard of Awe is an ode to Ken Miller – a powerful testament to his life’s work as a pyrotechnicst and his subsequent redemption.

I am excited to be in conversation with Cooley at the LA ART Book Fair on Friday, May 16th, at noon. If you are in the area and would like to attend, please sign up HERE. An interview with artist follows.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

Cooley’s work centers around a phenomenological, systems-based inquiry into humanity’s contemporary relationship with the five classical elements – earth, air, fire, water, and aether. The resulting photographs, videos, and public installations examine the environment, seeking to decipher our complex, evolving relationships to nature, technology, and each other. He strives to challenge assumptions and deepen our understanding of our environment and materiality. His newest work questions the long-term sustainability of present-day living and reveals the struggles – both practically and psychologically – of inhabiting a planet we are slowly destroying.

Kevin Cooley (1975) is an American artist based in Los Angeles who works across photography, video, and public installations. His work explores humanity’s relationship with the five classical elements – earth, air, fire, water, and aether – using a systems-based approach to examine environmental themes and the impact of technology. He challenges viewers to reflect on the sustainability of modern living and the psychological and practical struggles associated with environmental degradation. Cooley earned his M.F.A. in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York. His works have been featured in solo exhibitions, including Exploded Views at Laney Contemporary in Savannah, Georgia, and Still Burning at Kopeikin Gallery in Los Angeles. His public art installations include commissions for the Shay Hotel in Culver City and the California Air Resources Board in Riverside. Cooley’s work is housed in major public collections, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He has been nominated for the Prix Pictet in 2021. His focus on climate change, environmental degradation, and human survival have garnered critical attention, with features in Time Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and Harper’s Magazine.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

Tell us about your growing up and what brought you to photography?

My dad’s photos from his tour in Japan while he was in the Air Force—just after the Korean War—were mesmerizing to me. He was stationed near Sapporo, and his images of shiny fighter jets, snowcapped volcanoes, and meticulously manicured gardens sparked both my desire to travel and, more importantly, the impulse to pick up a camera. I began documenting our family road trips, and that’s where it all started.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

Were you interested in fire and fireworks as a child/teenager? I can picture you in the backyard setting off all sorts of rockets and fireworks…

It was actually the front yard—but absolutely. I grew up in Colorado, where they had a “safe and sane” fireworks law even back then. But luckily for me, my mom would drive me and my friends across the state line into Wyoming, where fireworks stands sold everything you could ever want. Looking back, it seems so out of character for her—and my dad certainly wasn’t thrilled—but it definitely planted a seed.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

What subjects were you drawn to when you started out in photography? I remember seeing work about light at night, and will never forget seeing your amazing installation in a building off the Highline in New York where the whole building pulsated to the light from TV screens. Brilliant!

Early on, I thought photography was just a means of documenting faraway places. That idea led me to study International Affairs in college, thinking I had to find another path to see the world. I didn’t yet believe I could do that as a photographer. Eventually, I realized I could also make work about the world immediately around me. That’s how Remote Nation came to be—the public art project along the High Line in New York.

I spent a lot of time on the rooftop of my first apartment on the Upper West Side. From there, I could see into the windows of taller buildings nearby, and I noticed people were often watching the same program. Their TVs would flicker in unison—this eerie glow of synchronized light. It was difficult to capture as a young photographer, but the idea stuck with me. A decade later, I recreated it as a building-sized installation. I loved sitting nearby and watching people discover it—most often thinking it was just everyone home watching the same show, not realizing it was an artwork. That reaction made it all the more powerful.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

Let’s talk about your new book, The Wizard of Awe. How did you cross paths with the subject of the book, Kenneth Miller, and what compelled you to tell his story?

It started during the last Papal Conclave in 2013. I became fascinated by the idea of using smoke signals to communicate something so momentous—the color of the smoke indicating whether a new Pope had been chosen. That interest led me to Ken Miller. I found him online, and he agreed to send me some of his smoke-generating materials, which were amazing.

We started talking on the phone, and our conversations kept getting longer. We became friends. But after my first visit to his farm in Southern Minnesota, I knew there was a bigger story. I just couldn’t have imagined how complex—and ultimately tragic—it would become.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

The cover image is like a beautiful stain with tendrils of copper fluorescence…how did you select that image?

I’m so happy with how that image turned out. The use of gold foil is the perfect embodiment of the glowing sparks. That decision came from the book designer, Carel Fransen. His exacting Dutch design sensibility really elevated everything. It was such a brilliant choice.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

There is such a tragic beauty to the images. The shots of fireworks in the snow are thrilling, but you also connect us with the seemingly sad life of the maker. What was the experience of making the work?

I visited Ken five separate times to document his life and work. The contradiction you mentioned—the disconnect between the beauty of the fireworks and the reality of Ken’s life—was deeply compelling. It mirrors the duality of fire itself: it can be creative and destructive, mesmerizing and dangerous. If you get too close, you get burned.

I think I relate to Ken even more now, after losing my own house and studio in the Eaton Fire.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

I don’t want to give away the story, but it’s a powerful one, and you, as maker and photographer, changed the trajectory of someone’s life—for better and for worse. Most photographers don’t go through such a profound experience.

Yes. Photographers—and certain photographs—can have a tremendous impact. While my involvement with Ken significantly altered the course of his life, he insists that I ultimately saved it. I never imagined my work would have such a profound effect. It’s still hard to fully grasp.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

Can you tell us a bit about the book design and the idea of chapters and different papers and approaches?

I spent years with the material, trying to find the right narrative and a design that supported it, but I couldn’t quite make it all click. Carel, again, came in and immediately understood how to make it work. It was incredibly impressive.

He used orange paper at the beginning and end to evoke fire, and kraft paper to highlight the evidence photos made by the ATF—those create a striking break in the story. The chapters help guide the reader through the emotional and narrative turns that wouldn’t be as legible through photos alone. It all comes together so seamlessly, and I’m so grateful to Carel for crafting such elegant solutions at every step.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

I am so devastated about the loss and the irony of losing your home in the LA fires. Did you witness any of the event? Can you share what it’s been like for you?

Yes, I’ve photographed many wildfires, and I was working on the Palisades Fire when I got the call from Bridget, my partner, telling me I needed to come back to Altadena immediately.

Here’s a short reflection I wrote about a week afterward:

Waking up last Tuesday to no power and the sound of howling wind, I had a sinking feeling it was going to be a tough day—but I never could have imagined just how devastating it would become. I spent most of the day photographing the Palisades Fire, unaware of how personal the day’s events would turn. That changed the moment I got a panicked call from my wife Bridget, sending me rushing back home to Altadena.

I managed to get my family out safely, but I couldn’t save our home. Standing there, I documented its destruction alongside the devastation of the neighborhood I love so much.

With everything gone, I find myself reflecting on life as I approach my 50th birthday this April. This tragedy is beckoning me to reevaluate what truly matters, and to break the cycle of endless accumulation of material possessions—the very things that, in part, fuel the increasing severity of these wildfires.

©Kevin Cooley, Spread from The Wizard of Awe, published by The Eriskay Connection

Are you working on something new you’d like to share?

Yes. In the immediate aftermath, I couldn’t bring myself to photograph anything. Emotionally, it was just too much. I’d drive up to the site, sit in my car, and feel paralyzed. But a few weeks ago, I finally found a way in—literally—when I managed to pry open the flat file in what used to be my studio.

Inside, I found the fragile remains of an old laptop and two burned copies of Wired Magazine that had featured one of my smoke images on the cover—used as a stand-in for the 80,000-foot fire tornado from the Carr Fire. The word “WIRED” was still faintly visible, charred and blistered. It felt so meta, so ironic—and so necessary to photograph. That discovery opened a door. I’ve since been photographing other people’s possessions pulled from the ashes.

At the same time, I’ve also begun documenting the green shoots of regrowth in Altadena—bright flowers emerging from the charred earth. It’s a way of witnessing both grief and recovery, of showing that resilience lives alongside loss.