Pink, Star, Flowers - some of my favourite words - and all together!! 
I happened upon these beautiful flowers whilst visiting the monetary in Arequipa, Peru. Their bright baby pink colour against the royal blue wall "popped" and caught my eye. And then I just stared - lots of them clustered and in the shape of stars. Stunning!! 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
​Tauska

I was working on a mural in a hostel a while back to the theme of growth and Mother Earth and so had researched and painted Andean botanical and produce upon the wall. In my research and observations I had seen the Tumbo flowers in growth, seen passion fruit growing, and orchids, and corn, and even the potatoes, but I had never seen quinoa growing up close. I had researched quinoa growth however, and looked at many high resolution pictures, and read about its properties. Lo and behold, walking around my neighbourhood in Cusco the other day what do I spot growing in front of a neighbours house? Yes... Quinoa!! Just growing there, on the side of the road, and it makes me wonder if they, the neighbours harvest it? 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
Tauska

I had gotten to a point in the trek where I was alone from people - some in front of me on the trail, and some behind. Focussing on just my breath, on putting one foot in front of the other, and being aware of my surroundings. It's what I love about hiking - the focus is on the present - it's hard to think about too much else. A rustle from the bushes perks my ears and I become even more aware - my eyes scanning around me. And then I saw this... in the bushes, this beautiful horse, magical. It sees me too... staring one at the other we take our time - I snap a picture - the horse waits patiently, and then we continue our stare. Foot steps are heard approaching - others on the trail... the horse gives a nod and takes of into the bushes. 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
​Tauska

I was walking through Promart the other day - Peruvian version of Home Depot and came upon a bunch of trash cans. They were round, metal, lift tops, and... they featured the design of the Campbell's Soup Can - nod to Andy Warhol :) Though of course it's not blatantly Campbells - so they did cover themselves. I did really want to stack them in a pyramid or line them up on a shelf - maybe I'll do so if boredom sets in this week. 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
​Tauska

I was in Lima a while back, to pick up my brother and his girlfriend, and before travelling around Peru together we stayed in Lima for a couple of days. We were incredible blessed to stay in one of the art and food districts of Lima - Barranco. It is very beautiful there - with tree lined streets, cliffs overlooking the Pacific, and gorgeous flowers abloom. There are musicians performing in many of the plazas and a vibe that is both lively and relaxed. And the food - Pisco Sours, Ceviches, Anticuchos (a Peruvian type of barbecue - traditionally of cow's heart), and good coffee!
We very luckily stayed in the former residence of one of Peru's most famous artists - Victor Delfin. His residence has now been converted into a small boutique hotel by the artists' daughter. The hotel overlooks the ocean, has beautiful grounds, and is filled with Delfin's art - both paintings and sculptures.

The art of Victor Delfin is full of beautiful colours, whimsical imagery of animals and people, it is also full of life. It is a mix of painting and sculpture and has a joy about it. Apart from his inspiration from nature, there are nods towards the work of both Picasso and Dali. His most famous piece in Lima is "El Beso" - The Kiss - It is a monumental sculpture of a couple kissing and it sits in the Love Park of the Miraflores district of Lima overlooking the sea. 

Staying in the house was incredible as there was beautiful and colourful art around every corner. There was also a small pool that was an artwork in itself - the water pouring out of the mouth of a lion - and yes I took full advantage of swimming there amidst the art, overlooking the sea. 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
​Tauska

Some of what we are working on in the anatomy class - studies of bones in different types of animals. It's really interesting to see how the different bones connect and make up the interior of the animal, and also to view the similarities and differences across the various groups. 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
​Tauska

One of the courses I am currently undertaking at the art school in Cusco is an Anatomy course. The class itself is quite fun and I am learning a ton. It is an advanced anatomy class in which we are exploring the bone, musculature and skin structures of different animals. So far our research has been in directly working with animal bones and sculls, and in examining life and pictures. Soon we will be creating anatomical bone structures, using an animal of our choice - that we can get our hands on. This part bothers me a little as morally I would feel wrong killing an animal to do this particular project - and so I do think I will cop out and use a market fish for this activity - as no killing necessary, and I can also eat the fish before using its bones. 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
Tauska

Experimentations with techniques and styles - recently I've been playing with different styles and colour combinations in my painting. I've also been painting nudes which has been quite the experience in observations of skin tones and shadows - next post :) 

Tahira Nusrat Karim
​Tauska