I would like to tell you why many artists, who like me, have painted portraits and landscapes in oils on canvas, worked with acrylics, watercolors, and pen and ink drawings, have turned to the art of gourd carving.

An Afghani man sells bread on a roadside in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 23 April 2024. A recent World Bank report reveals a 26% decrease in Afghanistan's gross output over the past year, primarily attributed to a 1.3 billion USD income reduction for farmers due to the ban on drug cultivation. Although tax revenue saw a modest increase of 13% in 2023, exports experienced a 15% decline specifically to Pakistan. Afghan officials highlighted efforts to spur domestic production, improve trade, stabilize the national currency, and initiate key economic projects. (Photo by Qudratullah Razwan/EPA/EFE)

Somali security officers gather at the scene of a car bomb attack at the base for the African Union forces in Mogadishu, Somalia, 26 July 2016. Media reports say at least 10 people, including the security guards at the base which is located at Mogadishu's airport, have been killed after two car bombs exploded at the base. Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the latest attack. (Photo by Said Yusuf Warsame/EPA)

“Monorail Subway, Capitol To Senate. The Car. Senators Swanson And Townsend As Passengers, 1916”. (Photo by Harris & Ewing Collection). (Please click to enlarge)

Children ride in the trunk of a car on a flooded street in Sanaa, Yemen August 1, 2016. (Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)

A man sits at the back of his car in the city centre of Yangon on September 15, 2023. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)

Henry Frayne of Australia shows his ability to triple jump the lenghth of more than two Formula 1 cars during a press conference at Albert Park on February 29, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

A boy takes a picture of a car crash in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, August 4, 2014. Two passengers were sent to hospital but no death was reported as a result of the accident, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)