Husband and wife artists carry their art across the globe

Photo credit: Laura Fawaz

By Laura Fawaz
TMO Contributing Reporter

Ann Arbor, MI–
Parvez Ahmed and Tahera Bano are fine art painters who traveled from Pakistan to Ann Arbor, Michigan, sharing Pakistani life and politics through their artwork.
Ahmed and Bano are both fine art painters, but Ahmed works mainly with acrylic paints on canvas, with his subject depending on his artistic mood, while Bano focuses on human figures and what they represent. Thar is an area in Pakistan where the people are very poor. According to Bano, they don’t have water in their houses, and kind of live like gypsies. “These people are having a rough time these days, so I thought I can represent them in a positive way, all holding buckets of water and in bright colors, wearing lots of jewelry,” described Bano.

To add to her cause, Bano donates a percentage of profits to the Narcotics Control Board of Pakistan. In Pakistan in the 1980s, there were political issues in neighboring Afghanistan, causing a flush of refugees coming into Pakistani refugee camps. According to Bano, with the refugees coming into Pakistan, drug abuse came in as well. That is why she chooses to paint the subjects she does and to donate to this cause.

Ahmed and Bano have three sons, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter, all-living together in the artsy town of Ann Arbor. Parvez currently works as a designer, and enjoys painting whenever he can. Bano recently left her job as a graphic designer to focus further on her paintings, and taking it to the road. Next week they will be traveling to Orlando, Florida to the Medical Association of Physicians convention. There, they will be exhibiting 45 – 50 of their paintings for sale.

Bano teaches art summer camp and gives art lessons out of their home. Though now they are looking forward to doing more and more exhibitions in various communities, and any custom orders that come their way. Ahmed and Bano met in college while they were each pursuing their fine art degrees, concentrating on painting and sculpting. Ahmed graduated in 1983, and Bano in 1986. They came to the United States in 1989. To view their full fine art collection, you can visit their website at www.parvezntahera.com.

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