I did my research before arriving at my month long artist residency in the Sacred Valley outside of Cusco. I had a nice back and forth email correspondence with Carlos, who runs the residency, I had found Kai Residencia de Arte e Investigación on the map, and the facilities in the pictures online seemed promising. My due diligence put me at ease. I was sure that I would encounter unexpected things, but the bare basics of what day to day life would be like all checked out.
Carlos came to pick me up in Cusco by Plaza San Blas, and we had a nice chat on the hour drive to Arin. The daily February showers brought the valley to life, and hillsides and fields became a fresh, bright green. As we drove up to the wooden gate at the entrance of the residency, I saw a big, energetic dog. I heard Carlos tell the dog to calm down, and then, to my own bewilderment, he beckoned the dog inside the artist residency as he closed the gate.
Carlos then introduced me to his dog, Tupac. He hadn’t mentioned that there would be a dog here.
I have never been a dog person - when I was ten, I was walking our friend’s dog in San Francisco. The dog (named China) had recently been missing for a couple days but had been found, safe and sound. While we were walking, China saw something and began to bolt. I didn’t want to be responsible for China running away again, so I hung onto the leash, hoping to slow China down. Instead, China dragged my 10 year old body along the sidewalk until I finally let go. I have a couple scars on my knees to show for it, but was not seriously injured. I’m not mortally afraid of China or of dogs, but generally feel much more comfortable around smaller dogs that would not be able to drag me or physically overpower me. My host family in Lima has a small, fluffy, white dog. I have grown fond of Senqui.
I was pretty scared of Tupac. Tupac was big and muscular. I wanted Tupac to be on my side.
Unsurprisingly, Carlos could tell I was a little uneasy around Tupac. Carlos did a good job of introducing me to Tupac, a two year old Canary Mastiff. Carlos, who has had him since he was a few months old, told me not to worry. Carlos described Tupac as a puppy in a larger dog’s body. In the first couple days, Carlos would take me on walks through cornfields and would bring Tupac, too, to help Tupac understand that I wasn’t an intruder or a stranger.
At the start of my second week at Kai, Carlos was going to Cusco and was spending the night in town. We had a simple dinner and people turned in early. I was sitting in the shared space by the kitchen, using the wifi to watch Woman in Gold. I hadn’t seen Tupac since dinner, and figured Tupac must be asleep. About fifteen minutes into the movie, I heard the familiar soft tap of paws on tile. Tupac approached me curiously and then hopped up on the couch, and arranged himself so that his head was in my lap. Then he began to snore. A few minutes later, he began to drool. I got quite into the movie, which was pretty heavy and about if and how to give art back that was stolen by the Nazis. Yet, at the same time, I couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the absurdity of this big, somewhat scary dog, sleeping in my lap.
As I became more comfortable with Tupac, I brought him on my afternoon walk through the cornfields by myself without Carlos. He would come up the stairs to where I was painting and lie down, but gave me my space and seemed to know that the pieces of rice paper drying on the floor were to be left alone.
There are a lot of really special things about the Sacred Valley. I have enjoyed my daily walk through cornfields to get ice cream and looking up at beautiful mountains and ruins of Incan terraces. I love the February showers that make rainbows every day. I have a great view from my studio space watching the storm clouds churn. But, I think one of the things I will miss most is Tupac and his gentle nature. It really is the first time I have felt close to a dog.
I think it’s still smart to be careful and cautious around dogs you don’t know. Over the past few months, spending more time around dogs than I ever have, I’m learning that perhaps it’s also smart to get to know dogs you don’t know.