In my side show presentation entitled “Memory, Myth, and Cultural Transformation,” I retrace the steps of my painting expeditions to sacred sites around the world, to share with the audience the influence of nature, prehistoric art and world religions on my work. In 1984, I began traveling to mystical sites and mysterious places around the planet. The intense spirituality of these places, some created by humans and some by nature, shaped the development of my art in a unique way. I was exhilarated when these expeditions resulted in lustrous collages, symbolic paintings, and poetic mythologies.

These painting expeditions had a transformative effect on my art! There are so many extraordinary places in the world that the traveler feels she is discovering them for the first time. I journeyed to the Galapagos Islands, where I sun-bathed with iguanas, and observed feathered mating rituals and rookeries; to the South Pacific and Australia where I was awed by Uluru, or Ayers Rock, the world’s largest monolith that literally looks like the heart of the earth and is sacred to Australian aborigines; and to Asia where I sought out temples and wildlife sanctuaries in such places as India, Thailand, Bali and Japan. In Hawaii, I experienced a sense of the sacred similar to that experienced at Uluru. I lived and painted in the volcanic fog of Kilauea Volcano, then pumping molten lava into the sea in daily flows of creation. Once again, I found the fusion of nature, spirituality, and art. In addition, I experienced the primal force of creation. This transformed my paintings. In 1992, I packed my paints and moved to Crete, site of the prehistoric Minoan Civilization, for a year. During that time I participated in an archeological tour of Turkey. Eventually I came to understand that my art, using a symbolic language of ageless archetypes, is about the transformation of pain into the celebration of life.

This slide show lecture has been well received at high schools, colleges, clubs and other organizations in New York. The EF Lecture Coordinator at Marymount wrote in her thank-you letter: “Many students and teachers commented that it was the most unique presentation of the year and they enjoyed it thoroughly …the audience was very impressed with the professional quality of the presentation and the knowledge you imparted about cultural symbols and mystical thinking as they relate to art.” Perhaps because I was already an accomplished photographer when I encountered some of the earth’s most beautiful places, the photographs are thought to be quite beautiful.

To find out about fees and scheduling information for this presentation, please email me at imogene@idrummond.com.