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Q. For many years, you have been an artist whose work features the unseen world of nature. What got you interested in creating this type of art?
A. Before I became an artist, I had a career in the world of business. One day during a corporate think tank meeting, I was mindlessly doodling and wishing that my creative talents could serve a better purpose. As I doodled, the Nature Spirits just started appearing on my notepad. I was fascinated with these images and after that meeting I started making endless drawings and then a friend asked me if she could frame one and hang it in her shop. It sold the same day. Word spread about my art and ever since that time, over 20 years ago, I have been putting hands to paper and canvas and drawing and painting Spirits of Nature as they appeared to me in the natural world.
Q. Taking photographs of Nature Spirits seems to be a natural evolution for you, but how did you start to get these amazing photos?
A. Of course, I feel very connected to the spirits in nature. After many years of painting them, one bright spring morning, I was lying on a blanket in my garden amidst a carpet of amethyst violets. I turned to see a sliver of light that fell on one tiny violet. I was aware of an energy, a "being-ness," and I quickly snapped a photo. The photo revealed the "Wild Violet Gnome" that appears on the cover of my book Spirits in the Garden.
Q. Where were these photographs taken?
A. These photos were taken in a variety of settings, including the gardens of avid nature advocates and friends, my own gardens, the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota, and in nature settings, parks, gardens and forests throughout the world.
Q. How do we know these photographs are real - that they aren't made up or embellished?
A. All of the photographs were taken with a 35mm camera and high intensity macro lenses. They were developed by a commercial developer and are documented with negatives. Some photos have been grouped into photo collages and contrasted to highlight details. However, nothing has been drawn in or manufactured. The negatives are stored in a climate-controlled bank vault. Many respected people have attested to the integrity of this photographic work including Gary Hallman, professor of Photography at the University of Minnesota, Timothy Kretzmann, of Kretzmann Printmaking Studio and Jane Barrash, director of the Continuum Center. Nina Utne, the Editor in Chief of Utne Magazine, featured the cover photograph of Spirits in the Garden in the January-February 2006 issue of that magazine.
Q. What was involved in getting these amazing photographs?
A. I did five straight years of photographing with a 35 mm camera and took approximately 50,000 photographs using a high intensity macro lens.
Q. What award did Spirits in The Garden receive?
A. Spirits in the Garden received the Kretzmann Studio's Premier Printmakers award for best photographs in their print series.
Q. Why do you think these photographs of Nature Spirits are being revealed to the world at this time?
A. For hundreds and thousands of years, humans have documented, with countless drawings and writings, the spirit energy they have encountered in Nature, calling them elementals, devas, little people, leprechauns, faeries, elves, trolls, and gnomes. So people throughout the ages have known about Nature Spirits, and in their innocence and purity, children often see them. Today we live in a fast-paced modern civilization that tends to distract us from communion with the intelligent life in Nature. I think that the Nature Spirits revealed themselves in my photographs because they want us to reconnect with them and through seeing them, help us to have a change of perspective that includes respect for all life. I also believe that we live at a time of great danger to the environment, and the Nature Spirits want to help us come into harmony and balance with the natural world so we do not self-destruct. And, we now have modern photographic equipment that is available such as the high intensity macro lenses, which make capturing these elusive images possible.
Q. What did Malidoma Somé, the Chief Shaman of the African Dagara tribe, tell you about your Nature Spirits photographs?
A. I met Malidoma Somé early into my photographic journey of encounters with the Nature Spirits. During a visit to my studio, we spent time exploring Nature, and I showed him a few of my new photographs. A startled look of recognition crossed his face, and he said, "These are the Plant Teachers, I know them. Our Elders show us early how to see them. It takes a lot of energy for them to come to us in a way that we can recognize, a form which appeals to us and for which we have an affinity. The plants are trying to help us."
Q. You call your Spirits in the Garden book "a love letter and an apology to Nature." Why?
A. Long into my career as a painter, I encountered several severe losses and excessive stresses. A darkness settled on me in the form of an unshakable illness, a virus that kept me exhausted, quiet, and mostly prone for almost three years. Traditional medical paths failed to help me. Slowly I began to regain my strength using herbal remedies and natural supplements prescribed to me by a progressive physician. I would often sit outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine and ask for help from the powers of Nature. Eventually my health was restored, so this book is my offering of gratitude to Nature.
Q. Tell us about the herbal recipes and healing remedies that you have included in the book.
A. Herbal remedies were instrumental in my own healing, and I have a high regard for their medicinal properties. The nourishing and healing properties of plants are their gift to us and the more we acknowledge these gifts by conscious use of plants for food or healing, the more we grow into balance with Nature. Spirits in the Garden includes some simple recipes and remedies as examples of what the plants can do for us. There are also instructions for preparations of herbs for internal use - such as teas and syrups, and external use - such as poultices or salves. Always be respectful of a plant's energies and consult with a qualified herbalist or naturopath or medical professional for proper doses and medicinal uses.
Q. What would you like to see happen as a result of getting this book out to the public?
A. Ideally, we would like these photographs to open awareness in a profound way to the presence of Intelligent Life in Nature. And we would hope that this new awareness would encourage people to start viewing Nature with more consideration and respect and start taking care of our Earth, the home we share with the plant and animal kingdoms.
Q. Many people are very excited about this book. How can we help you promote the book?
A. We are counting on strong word of mouth to spread the message about Spirits in the Garden. You can send out e-mails to your friends with a link to our Web site. You can write about the book in your blogs, news groups and e-mail discussion lists. You can mention the book and the Web site to people you know. You can write about it in your Holiday cards and newsletters. You can link to it from your Web sites. And buy Spirits in the Garden for yourself and your friends.
Q. Can I buy books wholesale to sell at my store?
A. We have had an enthusiastic response to Spirits in the Garden and as our first printing is a limited printing, we are not sure how many books we will have available to sell wholesale. Interested retailers can send an email to info@joansolomon.com and we will provide further information as it is available.
Q. How much do you donate to animal and environmental causes and to whom do you donate?
A. The amount and recipients of donations varies each year as our resources allow. See www.joansolomon.com/news for information on donations to PETA in 2005 and the Jane Goodall Institute in 2004. Other recent recipients have been Animal Ark, East Maui Animal refuge, Cause for Paws, and American Forests.
Q. What advice can you give me on how to look for Nature Spirits myself?
To reconnect with Nature's Spirit, I found that I needed to slow down, be patient and serene. It is helpful to take a walk in a natural area with the intention of sensing Nature's energy all around us. Times of changing light - especially late afternoon and dusk - seem to bring out the Nature Spirits. After you have been able to see them a few times so you have a sense of where to look, a magnifying glass can be helpful. Don't be disappointed if you can't see them every time you look - remember: patience and persistence! Take a child with you - they generally are able to perceive the Nature Spirits more readily than adults. Enjoy your time with Nature!
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