Bali Statues, Kerobakon and Ubud

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The Making of Bali Statues

Bali is rich in statues, carved mostly from wood and stone. Even though most Bali statues are carved in Java, where labor is even cheaper, master carvers can still be found throughout the Island, mostly in the Ubud area.

I'll be heading to Ubud, the cultural center of Bali, next week, so this is Part One on my search for The Making of Bali Statues.

Since I've made my own Goddess Statue from Hyper Tufa (a cement compound with vegetation) I'm trying to find cement statue makers. This is not that easy since almost all statues are made from wood (mahogany) or stone (granite or sandstone). After seeing the fabulous cement carving of Rama and Arjuna at the Nugurah Rai Airport, I knew there had to be some excellent teachers of this art.

I was told by a local landscaper named Komong that I needed to go to a town not far away; Batu Bulan, so we motorbiked up there on Sunday and took a bunch of the following pictures. I found them to be pretty much the same thing I find everywhere in the Canguu/Kerobakan/Kuta area. Lots of big sitting and reclining Buddhas, Balinese Genesh Elephants, water fountains, animals etc. But I found more artisic stylized statues in Kerobakan area. Both areas sport many statues to choose from, but we really could have saved ourselves the trip to Batu Bulan.
I have been told since then that there's a Classical Balinese Dance for Tourists that is worth catching in Balu Bulan, daily at 10 and 12. Wish I would have known, we were there at that time. Thats what we get for not picking up a Lonely Planet book on Bali!
I was most impressed with the style and grace of the statues presented at statue gardens or nurseries on Raya Kerobakan. I've included photos here, most seem to be made from bronze or some such metal. The prices along here were better too. But the shipping will cost you more than the piece itself, which is why I'm focusing more on how to make them myself when I return to Canada. If I could afford the shipping, I'd take a quick trip to Java, which is right next to Bali, just a short ferry ride over a narrow channel. Java's cheap labor force makes it the manufacturer of Bali. See you from Ubud!
Stephanie Waymen
http://www.nutritionarticlesonline.com

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Photos

Buddha Statue
This stone satue is unusually detailed.

Stone Buddha
Nice detail