A Galaxy of Visions: Capturing a Spiritual Journey in Black and White

XENOPHILIA (the love of things foreign or different), was created with a ballpoint pen as author/artist Robin Sathoff backpacked through England, India, Kashmir, and Nepal. While the images reflect the places in which they were drawn, the trip itself was inspired by simple necessity.

Unique and highly recommended!" Robin Sathoffs XENOPHILIA (Nonetheless Press, 2003, hard cover, $14.99) received a glowing review from the respected ezine RebeccasReads in the September 14, 2003, issue.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these 100 drawings each contain a galaxy of stories. These intense and complex drawings are unique and powerful collages of visions, philosophy and fantasy." Rebecca Brown is owner/editor-in-chief of RebeccasReads, which for the past five years has specialized in reviewing unusual, less-read good books.

XENOPHILIA (the love of things foreign or different), was created with a ballpoint pen as author/artist Robin Sathoff backpacked through England, India, Kashmir, and Nepal. While the images reflect the places in which they were drawn, the trip itself was inspired by simple necessity.

Sathoff explains: I was a seminary dropout working as a psych tech on a local mental health unit. Life proceeded in its normal fashion until my family was involved in a serious automobile accident. My father was killed and my mother was paralyzed from the chest down. Not knowing what else to do, I told Mom I would give her a year and care for her at home. By the time the year had passed, I was in dire need of some personal time. Mom followed through on a promise to buy me a plane ticket to anywhere. Over the course of the next ten months I drew my way through the Himalayas in Kashmir and northern India, where I saw the Dalai Lama; the deserts of Rajistan in the west; through the white sands of Ohm Beach; to the rocks of Hampi; all the way south to Pondicherry; then finally north again to Varinasi, where the sacred Ganga flows. The last leg of the trip found me crossing over to Nepal enjoying the serene vistas of Pokhara and then some troubled times in Kathmandu when the Royal Family was assassinated. I was finally able to catch a flight back to the States. From New York I rode the bus back to my home in Iowa, where I drew the final drawing. I had come full circle."

Each of the hundred drawings in the book is a unique and powerful work of art needing no commentary and Sathoff doesn't offer any, beyond the simple captions that accompany the drawings.

"Wanting to travel and see the world is a tradition of young men," comments Ms. Brown. "In England, they were sent to finish their education on Grand Tours of Europe. When I arrived in America in the 1960s, they were wandering all over the Indian sub-continent and returning with their stories and philosophies. In this post 9/11 world, what would you advise people who might be thinking of taking a similar Grand Tour?"

Sathoff responds, "Don't be afraid. With all of the war in the world, it is still filled with good people who are waiting to meet you. Anything can happen. Trust your instincts, challenge your comfort zone, and exercise your common sense when traveling abroad. Even with some very tense moments the journey is worth it."

Robin Sathoffs author tour began with local appearances in bookstores, New Age stores, and art galleries and has broadened to a regional scope, including appearances in California, Las Vegas, and New York. Marketing and publicity plans include book signings and author presentations through 2003 that will include radio, television, and print media coverage throughout the southeast United States beginning in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The complete XENOPHILIA review is available on the RebeccasReads.com web site at http://www.rebeccasreads.com/reviews/01artpho/01satr33.html. The full interview with author/artist Robin Sathoff can be read at http://www.rebeccasreads.com/interviews/authors/091403_sathoff_interview.html.