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Green fingers: a conversation with leaf-loving painter Bambang Nurdiansyah
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Collection: Bembeng's painting for Perjakapan Panjang Perihal Pulang Pergi a book of poems by Theoresia Rumthe and Weslly Johannes (Courtesy Bambang Nurdiansyah) (Personal collection/Courtesy Bambang Nurdiansyah)
The Yogyakarta painter has made a name for himself as a book cover illustrator
Wearing a white T-shirt, illustrator Bambang Nurdiansyah sat by a table covered in books. Filling pages with brush strokes, he was working on the cover illustration for a poetry book that will be published soon.
"I've been busy making book covers lately. There are many lined up, and deadlines are chasing me all the way," he said when The Jakarta Post visited on Nov. 16. Most of the books on the table had covers drawn by Bembeng - as he prefers to be called.
Born and raised in Surabaya, Bembeng’s familiarity with the arts started as a child. “When I was around my kindergarten years, I often took part in drawing competitions and won. Then when I was in high school, I also went to art school. I didn't think that fine art would become a way of life, and that would later [become my livelihood]. Everything happened so naturally,” explained Bembeng.
His talent was further honed, and his interest in fine arts deepened when he decided to move to Yogyakarta and studied at the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta majoring in fine arts. There, Bembeng was both dazzled and excited because art exhibitions were held every day, and it seemed as if in every inch of the city of Yogyakarta there stood a gallery.
“It was as if I found a new playroom. And you know, it was so much fun,” he said.
