The guest of honor at a dinner party in Minneapolis was renowned primatologist and Ambassador of Peace to the UN, Dr. Jane Goodall. Among those attending was celebrated artist, Joan Solomon. Dr. Goodall was admiring a painting by Ms. Solomon and expressed a personal connection to the work.

She spoke of a favorite place in Gombe, Tanzania – a lush ravine and waterfall, where she had spent many hours observing her beloved chimps. They often stand and rock, sometimes tossing stones in the water as a gesture of offering, signifying what primatologists believe may be a form of religious awe. Dr. Goodall considers it a sacred place too, and told of nature spirits revealing themselves to her in the foliage, the water and the rocks. She was curious whether Joan Solomon, far away in America, would see them too if presented with an image of the falls.

The Jane Goodall Institute sent Joan a picture, but she discovered that the photo of the falls did not reveal much detail. It seemed discouraging until her studio manager exclaimed, “Look at the right hand corner of the photo, up in the rocks. It’s the face of a chimp!” This unique message from Nature provided Joan Solomon with a rush of inspiration and she set to work.

What followed was a startling swing of contrasting emotions for the artist. Ms. Solomon began reading Dr. Goodall’s book, “Reason for Hope,” and realized that she was experiencing a parallel emotional pendulum. Dr. Goodall’s writing chronicles her own highs and lows of researching chimps, the fight for the rights of all animals and the inner peace she found in the forest.

Meanwhile, Dr. Goodall returned to Tanzania to continue her work.

After three months of intensive painting, a large print of the image was sent to Gombe, Tanzania. It was hand carried by JGI board member, Billy Weisman. The piece traveled across the continents, through the jungle and was presented to Dr. Goodall on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, where several benefactors of the Institute had gathered.

Ms. Solomon’s emotions while working on the piece are detailed in a letter to Dr. Goodall. “Little did I know how I would be hit by a charge of energy, a wild surge that bolted across my psyche. I felt such elation, such awe, immediately followed by enormous, engulfing anguish. Eventually, a peace settled upon me. I could see the story the painting was telling and how all the animals, the forest and the people are eternally interwoven. I saw that we are the animals and they are us. I have come to believe now that the nature spirits are a kind of missing link, connecting the material world with the Higher Realms.”

Dr. Goodall replied in a moving message to Ms. Solomon after seeing the work. “I was speechless. It is beautiful and meaningful beyond my wildest imaginings and it truly captures the sacred atmosphere. I was fascinated by all you felt. Yes, that’s how it is. Thank you for painting it.”

The painting is now slated for exhibition. The hand framed original, 56” x 34”, will be unveiled and auctioned at a celebrity event in Los Angeles. Other items being developed are fine art prints, posters and note cards. Proceeds will benefit the Jane Goodall Institute.