Few artists have journeyed as extensively or intensively as painter Yisrael K. Feldsott. Beginning in 1978, Feldsott left behind his role as a rising star in the art world to immerse and involve himself in the rich yet endangered ecologies and cultures of Central and South America.

After a dozen shows in the 1970s, including three solo exhibitions and two group shows at San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art, Feldsott became less interested in commercial success and felt compelled to explore the world beyond our borders. His passionate reactions lead him to activism. In 1986, he was a founding member of the Forest Island Project, which combines ecological restoration and cultural conservation in Veracruz, Mexico. He has also been involved in the Matico Foundation, an agency in the Ecuadorian Amazon that promotes intercultural dialogue about health care as well as providing health care that honors multiple healing modalities. Feldsott found his own path as a healer, learning the lore and absorbing the wisdom of traditional shamans. Upon his return to the states, he co-founded a health center in Bolinas, CA dedicated to traditional medicine.