Since 2007, Jimmy Fike has been creating a photographic archive depicting North America’s rich trove of wild edible flora. These unique botanical works are part photographic documentation, part artistic interpretation. We chatted with Jimmy to find out more about
Tell us about your project documenting the wild edible botanicals of the North American Continent, how did the idea come about?
The idea for this project came about while contemplating the history of landscape photography’s relationship to climate change and other environmental problems. The two main approaches when I began the series seventeen years ago were the romantic and new topographics traditions, both of which depicted landscapes but neither of which seem to really be making an impact on people’s environmental consciousness or to be particularly concerned with ecology.
So, this series began with one straight forward, yet complex question: is there a type of landscape photography that has the potential to turn viewers into environmentalists? After much research, reading and experimentation working with plants in this manner seemed to have potential.
Where has the project taken you so far, and what do you look for when finding plants to photograph?
I’ve done fieldwork in 16 different states spanning the continental US. I have photographed about 175 plants, so far. One of my goals was to get a broad enough cross-section of the continent’s comestible flora so as to be able to mount biome specific exhibitions anywhere. I’ve been fortunate to attend a number of artist residencies which allowed me to access really unique ecosystems. I’m not trained as a botanist so I have to patiently hike around with a collection of used field guides discovering edible plants.
What is your photography process, how do you create the images?
I often get questions about my process. I think it takes just enough twists and turns that viewers are often a bit puzzled by what they’re looking at, but I like how that opens them up and begins the interaction with a question. The plants are often photographed in the field, quickly before they wilt. I excavate the plant, clean it and pin it flat to a white backdrop. I also photograph a collection of extra parts (leaves, flowers, etc.) so I can collage together an exceptional version of the specimen.
After this, I settle into a lot of very meticulous Photoshop work. I remove all the pins, every trace of a shadow that would indicate a ground, and fix holes in leaves, etc. Next, I collage in the extra parts and slowly build an archetypal version. I save the full color file and then convert the photo to black and white and invert it to create a negative black and white image.
At this stage it looks just like a photogram of a plant on sensitized paper. I create several black and white copies and experiment with different colorization patterns using markers. I try to find a sweet spot optically where the plant looks to be receding into the darkness and popping out in a balanced way, while pulsating with a type of life force. Lastly, I return to photoshop and collage in the colorized parts I have decided upon. This color-coding illustrates the edible parts of the specimen.
Do you have any favourite plants that you have documented?
I think the most beautiful plant that I’ve created has to be Water Lily. This one is featured on the cover of my book Edible Plants published by Red Lightning Books in 2022. I love how it seems alive and has a type of agency and consciousness. One of my goals is to transform the plants from objects into beings. I feel this one really hits that aesthetic mark and suggests that plants are communicating with us about their edible parts. My favorite plant to nibble on when I find it out hiking in the desert is wolfberries! They are a type of goji berry and are so delicious – a mix of sweet and savory.
What do you do outside of this project, where has your career taken you so far?
My day job is as an art professor at Estrella Mountain College in Avondale, Arizona. I’m fortunate that the academic schedule provides me a good bit of time to pursue my creative endeavors. I’m working on a couple of other different series right now that are also related to nature and landscape. I also really like to draw and had a solo exhibition on my drawings back in the fall at the same time they were featured in Southwest Contemporary magazine.
What draws you to exploring plants and nature in your work?
I find this work to be really interesting philosophically and psychologically. Not to mention that it is just a fun adventure to travel around and explore. The images exist in a conciliatory space that brings together art, science, and spirituality. I think of them as tools that can help form deep connections to place, to nature and are proof positive of symbiotic evolution and dependent origination. They possess the potential to radically transform how we move through landscapes. I like their generous spirit of giving, offering viewers access to free food.
What does a typical day in the life of an artist look like for you?
The project follows a seasonal calendar. During the summers I travel and photograph as many new specimens as I can. The rest of the year, I settle into the Photoshop work and seek out opportunities for exhibitions and publications. I really enjoy both phases. Of course, it’s great to be in the field, but I find the Photoshop work very meditative and it provides me a great opportunity to listen to lots of music while working.
Do you have any favourite gardens to visit or places to immerse yourself in nature?
My favorite place to immerse myself in nature is called the Mogollon Rim. It is about 2 hours northeast of Phoenix, Arizona at seven thousand feet of elevation and is the largest contiguous conifer forest in the continental United States. It is vast and beautiful. I always see animals there like elk, deer, and coyotes. It has nice streams and lakes for trout fishing. I enjoy the solitude, adventures with my dog Scrappy, and most importantly we can escape from the sweltering summer heat of Phoenix. I have found and photographed so many plants there.
What is your favourite or most memorable project you’ve created?
I’m so proud of my book Edible Plants. It features 113 of my photographs and written descriptions of the plants. It is formatted like a coffee table version of a field guide. I have never worked so hard on anything in my life! It was totally worth the effort. What a feeling to get to hold that big, beautiful book in my hands for the first time.The book is currently headed to its third printing. It’s rewarding to know that the book and images are out there in the world supporting my mission of connecting folks to nature and engendering environmental stewardship.
Finally, as we are the Garden Museum, can you tell us about your relationship with plants, gardening and nature?
For me, nature is a site for spiritual renewal and contemplation, a chance to interface with truth and a reality beyond human artifice, to be inspired by beauty and the intricate designs of evolutionary forces. I enjoy the adventure and challenges that go along with backpacking and testing myself physically on long treks. The time in nature is so invaluable to me psychologically. There is nothing else better. I do have a small garden at home. It’s such a wondrous process, watching the plants grow from seeds into food. Gardening in Phoenix has its challenges, as the summers are so hot and the climate so dry, but I find I’m able to grow nutritious, organic salad greens all winter long.
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