Adjunct Professor of Painting Donna Torres will travel to Cusco, Peru for the First International Symposium on Anadenanthera, which will take place from November 5th to November 9th. Anadenanthera is an ancient, shamanistic plant of South America, and it will be the focus of scholarly and artistic study. Donna Torres will exhibit one of twenty-five portfolios from her work Ancient Conversations, a collection of watercolor paintings that depict a wide range of “visionary” plants of the Americas – or, as said by Donna Torres, “plants used in ritual and medicinal contexts….”
“My interest in ancient cultures and shamanism sparked my interest in plants and botanical science,” said Donna Torres. “To inform my oil paintings I decided to study botanical illustration.” By attending the First International Symposium on Anadenanthera, she expects to use what she learns about the plant in her future work, and to connect with other artists that are interested in botany, whether scientifically or artistically. Additionally, Donna Torres sees the country of Peru as a suitable location for the furtherance of her artistic studies. “Since my creative work has always been linked to the art and anthropology of pre-Columbian civilizations, Peru is an ideal place to inform my work.”
The featured image is “Banisteriopsis caapi” by Donna Torres.
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