To write of my experiences on the island of Bali could not be done in just a few words. It would take endless chapters explaining not just about the arts ,  the island is well known for , but also about its people, its customs  and not to forget its Hindu religion.  It had made me want to learn all that is the island is about ,  the people who inhabit it, their mysterious customs , their religion which involved the worship of numerous deities , good but also many of a lesser nature. The religion is Hinduism and originate from ancient times when it had travelled from India   where it originated.  Many of its practises in  in worship are identical to that of the main land and for that token so is their class system. But  what had intrigued me most is the devotional worship of passed ancestors that had  taken on a great and important part of Bali life.

My story about Bali  is not going to be about the religion and all the rituals  associated  with it  or the friendly people who inhabit the island  ,  but  more about the effects  the environment had on me when I had first set foot on its soil. For me it had  brought back memories of my passed as a child  during the old  Dutch-Indies colonies when I had lived under same conditions.  It was because of the meeting with this island which felt like I had an emotional reunion with my past   that Bali would  always have of  a tender spot in my heart .

From 1972 , when I had  set foot on her soil for the first time I had   loved  her for what she was,....the splendour of  a tropical paradise .

The purpose of this first visit was to visit  an Australian artist , Donald Friend , who at that time had his studio at Sanur Beach. When I had visited  Donald I was not only introduced to his lovely and colourful canvasses  but  also to traditional Balinese art. In the conversation we had he told me of an artists community in Ubud a village in the mountains and of a Dutch painter , Han Snel who had lived there for many years.  The next thing I did was to visit the village in the mountains  and see for myself.  I did not meet anyone of any  art community or the artist Han Snel for that matter  , but visiting Ubud and   sensing all that beauty had  made me want to come back and explore more.

It was not until 1975 that I returned to Ubud and had enjoyed the experience of involving myself in her art. From that year on I  kept coming back  regularly to immerse in my own artwork. Finding a spot to set up my easel was not difficult . Wherever I was staying the people allowed me the freedom to feel at home and I had found ,  the surroundings  always  suitable. It seemed that incentives to express in art  were everywhere to be found and were in particular not limited to the one subject, something  I had found with my art experiences in other countries I had visited before.   

I soon found a  location that suited me most  where I could  set up a permanent spot  to delve in my art expressions.   Many of my expressions had  been created in this  improvised studio in Ubud and not only about Bali but also executed  ideas I had in Kuranda , Australia  like those of the series  "Dreaming the Dreamer" and "Exaltation"  both Aboriginal , Australian subjects.  I even did the first paintings for the Mexican series "A Mayan Symposium" in my Balinese studio , whilst stopping over on my way to Mexico .The year was 1993.

The way I was  creating of my art was  by   intense concentration   about the  subject I was to create. It was not unusual to find myself in a state of  a trance meditation , usually in the early hours of the morning before the sun had  set , in the middle of a  rice field often only dressed in a sarong cloth  wrapped around my waist . Utter peace  and tranquillity used to rule  over the landscape with the  slow awakening of the morning , an experience  I will never forget. I  became obsessed with this routine and had extended  the practise as my daily routine.

One of my early experiences in Ubud was meeting  Dutch artist Han Snel with whom I  became a friends .But not only with him also with  to his lovely wife Siti  and their family of children and grandchildren  and all that he stood for as an artist I became a close friend   until his death in 1998. 

Towards the last years of his live I used to stay with him in Gondol , a fisherman's settlement north of Bali where he had a studio . I had enjoyed the many weeks I stayed with him in the small bamboo matted cottage near the edge of the ocean , free and uninvolved , away from  the many art lovers who used to visit him in his home in Ubud. I can remember the many evenings when we sat outside under a starry sky  exchanging ideas about all we had  experienced in our art that day.  I had often thought that this beautiful period of my live was to stay forever. But unfortunately and sad to admit this was to be. He passed away in 1998 ,( remarkably on the day that I had an exhibition of my art in Brisbane) and from that date  only came back to Ubud to attend his cremation ceremony. On that occasion I saw how his remains where exhumed and prepared for the sacred Hindu cremation ceremony ,  Bali is famed for. .

If ever there is an artist who searched  for  truth of  inner emotions it was Han Snel  and he had expressed that in many of his work.  By this revelation of his ability to recognize himself  I became aware of my own personality and the capacity in my art . I had expressed this change in me with my Miriwinni affair that had followed the year of  Han's passing away.

But before this dreadful parting with a dear friend I had great times doing my art in my Ubud studio. I did much work in the years I had occupied the familiar spot near the rice fields always enjoying every moment I was creating.  In that time I had made many friends , Balinese artists mainly but also a few expatriates like Charles Pfahl and Arie Smith. My favourite subject had always been my close involvement with Bali mysticism and as a result did many pieces in that genre. One of the  paintings I did was   "Watch with me" by  which image I payed homage to the "Barong", the  Image of Good.       By the image , I had expressed how sincere  the Balinese had  always been in regards to his religious duties.  That by being aware of oneself and minding  all that one does through life ,  whether it is in creating beautiful things  or working the rice fields or  just by being alive , it always should be  in the interest of the Creator who granted  life. The Balinese artists but people of the island in general do live their lives in the services of their Gods , many of these   house  on the top of the Gunung Agung,  on the foot of which  mountain stands the main and large  Hindu temple of Besaki.

A visit to the Besaki Temples and attend  one of the many ceremonies had been  a must when I visited the island. Being a sensitive man I had always felt the presence of strong energies during many of the ceremonies. On one such occasion  I had felt  something like an  strong current passed through me  that had made my hair at the back of my neck raise. The experience  had me worried  and had  mentioned it  to my partner who was with me and who  assured me that  no harm would come over me if I had the best of intention when attending the service. I have had another experience of the same kind  on a later  occasion  and this time I was all by myself . The repeat of this kind of phenomena had made me curious as what was actually taking place and after I did a  study    into  the phenomena  understood the implication. Now I participate whenever I am  invited to attend any Hindu ritual  which sometimes include the pressing  of rice to my temples , the elaborate blessings by sprinkling  sacred water and the placing of flowers behind one's ears. These services are as a rule conducted  by a Pemanku .a Hindu priest but during festive days  , when the attendance is high  , it could be done by ordinary people , women mainly.

Han Snel is no longer in Ubud but his work can still be seen  at his private gallery at no 3 Jalan Kajeng. Meet his lovely wife Siti who was his model for  many of his early work. A photo of  him hangs in the bar . Have a drink at the bar and consume the atmosphere near the lotus  fishpond he  designed and imagine  yourself ,  you have a conversation with him about  Bali and his favourite subject , art.

An other  Dutch painter is Ari Smith who lives near the art gallery  Neka north of Ubud.  Han Snel and Arie Smith had been close friends for many years . These two men were not the only foreign  artists who had lived for most of their lives in Ubud. Go to the national museum in the centre of the village and find out about  the many international artists who had resided in Ubud.

There is a numerous talent to find in Ubud , too many to mention. A wander through Monkey Forest Road will introduce you to so many young and vibrant artists with a variety of interesting subjects in art , too many to mention .

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