Turkish Delight

Art, travel, fashion and natural disasters

Truly, hers is a story of international intrigue. Turkish artist Nursel Birler Carroll has lived a life that sounds like the storyline of a film. From daughter of diplomats to student in Paris to public relations executive for a top fashion house to celebrity-socialite to art student of a master to earthquake volunteer, she found love, traveled the world and channeled it all into paintings and sculptures that speak volumes.

That life seems oceans away now that Nursel lives in Waco. When a friend told me about her art and the studio in her home — and her story — I wanted to know her, learn from her. Last month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Nursel in her home in Woodway.

A petite woman with eyes that match her chestnut hair, Nursel moved gracefully about her fresh, white kitchen. Casually dressed in off-white jeans and stylish Tory Burch flats, she served me a thick, strong Turkish coffee in a demitasse cup that was as delicate as her accent. She even offered me a piece of actual Turkish Delight, a sugary confection that is flavored with rosewater or citrus and often contains pistachios. We could have spoken in any of her four languages —Turkish, French, Spanish or English — except that I only know one. I couldn’t wait to find out how Nursel Carroll landed in Waco…

By Gretchen Eichenberg
Find the full article on page 98 of the March 2013 Wacoan magazine