Looking for Jane

After a number of years corresponding with Jane Goodall from Evin Prison, I finally was able to meet her in September of 2024, a year after my release. She cleared her afternoon schedule for me and ordered take out vegetarian curry for us. We spent the entire afternoon discussing my prison experience and how I had used art and nature to maintain my sanity and my hopes. We continued to correspond via email and occasionally by phone. The next time we got together was on September 21, 2025. I did not know it then, but it was to be the last time we would meet. She made tea and we spent an hour talking about the state of conservation and how it was being negatively impacted by lack of government interest and funding. She told me about the Jane Goodall Center for Hope that was under construction in Arusha, Tanzania and asked me to do a painting to be displayed there. I finally finished the painting that I call “Looking for Jane” in August of 2026. It will be sent to Tanzania soon. Sadly, Jane never got to see the work and passed away ten days after our meeting on October 1, 2025. Ironically, that is also my birthday.