"I am the third of five children. My mother is a dressmaker and my father is a goldsmith. Not being good at management, my father went bankrupt so my mother became the only one who earned a living. Since I was already in secondary school, I started to think of what to do to earn money. I decided to learn to make classic
Kamasan paintings from...
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Close WindowSukma Sucipta
"I am the third of five children. My mother is a dressmaker and my father is a goldsmith. Not being good at management, my father went bankrupt so my mother became the only one who earned a living. Since I was already in secondary school, I started to think of what to do to earn money. I decided to learn to make classic
Kamasan paintings from a senior painter, Nyoman Mandra. Kamsan paintings are characterized by serialized stories about religion or classical Hindu-Bhuddist culture. They once were limited to religious applications, calendars and
Wayang Kulit, or leather shadow puppet performances. I was able to earn money in order to pay for school by selling my Kamsan paintings.
"I worked for a private bank in Jakarta for six years. The first time I arrived in Jakarta I was amazed at how big and tall the buildings are. I will never forget the first time I got on an elevator, which I called 'the moving room.' I always jumped to get in and out of an elevator, because I was afraid of getting pressed by the door and have people laugh at me.
"In 1993 I returned to Bali with a wife and a daughter. In the beginning it was a hard life, because the bank had been liquidated and I had no job to support my family. I took all kinds of jobs just to make some money. I worked as a mineral water salesperson, book salesman, insurance marketing, and worked at a money exchange bureau.
"One day in 2000 I visited a shipping agent, which at the time was busy with a shipment of photo albums. An idea came to my mind to learn to make photo albums, so I went to a friend who already crafted albums. I was very happy because the same agent I had visited before accepted my first sample and started to place orders.
"I work together with my wife, and we create new designs using materials found easily in our environment. We also make a combination of natural materials with traditional Kamasan paintings.
"I hope my two daughters and two sons will be able to continue what we have started, so they may have a better future."
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