The Ayahuasca Visions of Pablo Amaringo

This very big book (11x14") showcases the work of Pablo Amaringo (1938-2009)--extraordinarily colorful paintings displayed full-page depicting enigmatic flora, fauna, and people intertwined in fantastical designs. Facing pages have explanatory text, telling the stories depicted in the paintings and the feelings and beliefs behind those stories. Amaringo trained as a curandero in the Amazon then retired in 1977 to become a full-time painter and art teacher in his native Peru. Over time he attracted international attention. This book was conceived by his British friends Howard G. Charing, director of a center for shamanism in London, and Peter Cloudsley, a musicologist and founder of a retreat center in the Amazon; both men have studied and immersed themselves in Peruvian culture for many years. They provide prefaces describing their involvement with Amaringo, and several contributed essays thoroughly discuss his life, work, and the altered states of consciousness that the paintings express. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Pablo Amaringo (1938-2009) trained as a curandero in the Amazon, healing himself and others from the age of ten, but retired in 1977 to become a full-time painter and art teacher at his Usko-Ayar school in Pucullpa, Peru. The author of Ayahuasca Visions: The Religious Iconography of a Peruvian Shaman, his art has been displayed throughout the world. Howard G. Charing is a director of the Eagle Wing’s Centre for Contemporary Shamanism and the coauthor of Plant Spirit Shamanism. Peter Cloudsley is a musicologist, writer, and the founder of the Amazon Retreat Centre in Peru. Both Charing and Cloudsley live in Lima, Peru.