ARTIST'S COMMENTARY (continued)
At the time of my arrival in the Andean city of Ayacucho, the militarized political group known as "El Sendero Lumonoso", or in english, "The Shining Path" was seriously threatening the government and was active all over the Southern end of Peru. Ayacucho was where they had mounted the insurgency and the city and surrounding towns were occupied by the Peruvian elite milatary section known as "The Black Beret".
I found Ayacucho to be a wonderful city, where I drew portraits in the market to purchase my lunch and made watercolors from my hotel balcony, which I traded for my nights spent there. I visited the art school there and met some of the faculty. I also went, during the day, outside the city to be given a tour of a ruins site, by a local student, who volunteered to do so and would'nt accept any payment. A volume could be written about the touching experiences I had in this war-torn city.
It was necessary for me to hitch-hike out, when I left, as the wait for a bus ticket was one month.
As I traveled South, the truck I was riding in began to pass through thickly forested mountains.
"From Ayacucho to Andahualas"
Aug., 1987
egg tempera on hand made paper
7 x 10 inches