Signed Impressionist Painting of a Lake from Java 'Java Lake' Item ID: 2671735817

Because I am the youngest of 5 siblings, I am very close to my father and mother. They are both coffee farmers. I always followed them picking coffee every day as a child. My brother and I would play happily in the village with friends and family. Our village is very beautiful and cool. Everyone lives in harmony with one another. We have all had the same hobby of painting from childhood. My brother started his career as a painter in Jakarta.

I finished high school, and then I followed my brother to Jakarta. He was independent and successful as a painter. But finally I went to Yogyakarta, intending to study at the Indonesian Art Institute there. But my destiny turned out to make me a painting vendor in the Malioboro tourist area of Yogyakarta. Besides selling paintings by other people, I also sell my own paintings. I was lucky to meet a buyer who eventually became a regular customer. So I focused on painting in the workshop, and have 2 assistants help me keep the shop in Malioboro.

I faced the hardest time of my life when I had to have surgery on my head, which left me paralyzed and with total amnesia. My wife and 2 children helped me recall all the lost memories and get back to normal. And the struggle to paint again is at the instigation of my wife, who is also a painter. We met when we bought paints at the painting shop. After dating for 3 months, we decided to get married. Indeed, the courtship was very short, but my choice turned out to be right--my wife was a wife who faithfully accompanied me in joy and sorrow. My life feels complete with the presence of 2 of our children who are now adults and independent.

Now I work alone, and slowly but surely I am back in my career as a painter. All the tools and painting materials are very easy to get. My paintings are heavily influenced by Indonesia's natural wealth and traditions. There are paintings of temples, boats, vast expanses of natural scenery. I have a purpose so that all people can realize how beautiful Indonesia is and can participate in maintaining its sustainability.