Icelandic artist makes Fallbrook home

The town of Fallbrook is fortunate to have renowned artist and Iceland native, Rikey Ingimundar, as a new resident. Her artwork, “Art From My Heart,” has been exhibited worldwide and adored by many.

In Iceland, the Prime Minister owns her works, and some reside in the governor’s office and bank institutions. Her exhibits have been showcased in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Luxemburg, Canada, the Faroe Islands and the United States.

Although Ingimundar’s artwork has taken her around the globe, it was her daughter, Steinunn Truesdale-Flores, who brought her to Southern California in 2004.

“I took care of my two grandchildren while my daughter went to Iraq,” said Ingimundar. Based at Camp Pendleton, Sgt. Truesdale-Flores received deployment orders when her youngest daughter was only 4 months old.

Now retired, Truesdale-Flores was the first female from Iceland to be a Marine, and earned a Purple Heart while in combat. “I was injured by a double stack anti-tank mine,” she said.

The explosion resulted in serious head trauma, in addition to major neck and back injuries. Though her days can be challenging and tough, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post in Fallbrook makes them better, said Truesdale-Flores.

“They’ve helped me physically and mentally; they have been wonderful,” she said.

Ingimundar, Truesdale-Flores and the rest of their immediate family moved from Oceanside to Fallbrook a few months ago. “We love Fallbrook; it’s home,” said Truesdale-Flores. “The people are so kind here.”

Ingimundar, who continues to lovingly care for her family, wasn’t aware that Fallbrook was a burgeoning artistic community before she moved here. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said, wide-eyed. “Right away, I went down to the Art Campus.”

In the process of becoming acclimated to the Fallbrook galleries, Ingimundar is excited about showing her artistic pieces here. Her art includes sculptures and paintings.

Her sculptures have amazing, unique meaning. They capture tales and stories of her homeland, while others are visions that unfold in clay. “I create whatever comes into my head,” said Ingimundar.

The story of “The Little Match Girl,” by Hans Christian Anderson, comes alive in one of Ingimundar’s sculptures, as does “Sleeping Beauty,” the popular story by Charles Perrault. “You walk around the sculpture to see the story,” said Ingimundar.

In her “Sleeping Beauty” piece, her story in clay reveals dwarfs, the witch, a poison apple and the prince. “People who have seen my work have said that they have been all over the world and have never seen artwork like mine,” said Ingimundar.

Recently, she visited the Pompeii Exhibit at Balboa Park. The cast images from the ruins stirred emotion within her, and now, she is creating sculptures from her heart, body and soul. “Pompeii was something I learned about as a little girl.”

Ingimundar started painting at 4 years of age and started creating sculptures when she was 15. She is a graduate of the Icelandic School of Arts and Crafts.

To this day, she loves to do sculptures that depict children. There is something special about having a sculpture of your child, she said. People are elated that Ingimundar accepts private work in this area, creating an artistic keepsake.

Rikey Ingimundar can be reached at (760) 645-3325 or (760) 689-5719.