Close Window

Wayan Rana

Wayan Rana is featured in Keepers of the Arts, a beautiful hardcover book available through Novica. He has also been featured in Voyage magazine.

"I come from a poor family compared to the rest of my village, most of whom have farms and livestock to support them. But I am very grateful to God to have been born into a family of artists. My grandfather was a dancer and woodcarver, my father is a stonecutter, and I am a traditional painter. We are happy to have been able to live from our talents.

"I started to paint at age 10, and two years later was concentrating seriously on my technique, hoping to be able to earn a living from my paintings. I won an award while in school, and have since presented a number of exhibitions in Bali, including one at the prestigious Art Center in Denpasar in 1992.

"I enjoy themes such as workers in the rice fields, Balinese dancers and landscapes – what I like the most is to discover beautiful scenery. I use quills and very small brushes. Painters from Japan, Holland and France have come to learn the art of traditional Balinese painting from me.

"My career started with a memorable – if difficult – event, however. I was taking a painting to a gallery in Ubud. The painting had taken two months to complete. It was two-meters tall by one-meter wide, and I was carrying it on the back of a bike. Halfway there we fell off the bike because the roads were wet and very slippery, and crashed into a farmer cutting the grass by the side of the road. Luckily, no one was hurt. After cleaning and drying the painting by the side of the road, we continued into town and delivered the painting to the owner of the gallery. But then we noticed a small rip in the middle of the painting. I was shocked, but realized that when we fell off the bike, the farmer's scythe must have cut the painting! I was so embarrassed. I gave the money back to the gallery owner and sadly went back home with the beautiful but damaged painting.