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Tropical Living. Oil
and water do mix When I first cast an eye onto the bold, expressive brush strokes of Made K. Bendesa it was clear that he was a talent completely outside the mould of a typical Balinese artist. Made was born into a family of local politicians in a small village near Singaraja in North Bali with no history of any artistic expression. He did not even pick up a paint brush until he was 26 years old. In 2000, Made did interior styling, flower arrangements, soft furnishing and color co-ordination for renowned Australian interior designer Dean Kempnich. With great perception, Dean spotted a real talent in Made’s use of color and gently suggested that he should paint. The reaction was one of bewilderment! “I was clueless, knew nothing about painting and had no idea where to start ,” recall Made. It is this very lack of formal techniques and training that make Made’s paintings so innovative and ispiring. Nowhere is that clearer than in his choice of medium. Initially Made worked with acrylics on canvas, then with oils and then experimented with mixing the two – the proverbial oil and water. He achieves a balance between the two giving a true uniqueness to his work completely, free of the limitations of either medium in isolation. His methods include brushes, hands, rollers, spraying, scraping and dripping. The results are truly startling expression of form and color. Free from the constrains of conventional techniques. While he freely admits that he is an atypical Balinese artist, Made’s inspiration is very local in it’s nature: the vivid layering of sunset skies, the soft gentle tones of sunrise and, especially in later works, the unique colours of coral reef and shallow seas. “the images I paint are inspired by what I see around me, but ultimately come from inside and from nowhere else. I see my expression on canvasas a process of self-discovery which will hopefully continues for many , many years to come, “he says. Made opened his gallery in 2002. The Kebath Studio ( kebath is a village name in Made’s native north Bali) in Seminyak houses a permanent collection of his current paintings. Patrons include visitors from all corners of the globe, Indonesians and expats. Interior decorators use his works in contemporary villas in Bali and beyond. Locally, hispaintings grace the walls of Ahimsa villas in Seminyak, villa Danoya in Petitenget, the grand hyatt hotel in Nusa Dua and villa Vatara in Tanah Lot, among others. An inevitable downside to Made’s growing fame and profile is forgery. While these knock-offs are easy to spot, (an untutored hand is the hardest To replicate) Made is understandably upset. He now issues a certificate of aunthenticity with all his works, signed by himself and the buyer. A new gallery opened in July in Jakarta carrying Made’s works. Made also is among friend to establish a permanent gallery in Kuala Lumpur. Made’s ultimate dream is to see his works in a major exhibition in Europe or North America. It will not be long.
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