Up for grab: Different painting styles are on offer across Bali. (JP/Intan Tanjung)" border="0" height="383" width="510">Up for grab: Different painting styles are on offer across Bali. (JP/Intan Tanjung)

Muhammad Sulhan put some framed paintings under the sun in front of his art shop. The paintings, which have become attractive decorations for his shop, were not yet dry.

“Most of the customers will roll the painting up if they want to bring it home, so it needs to be completely dry, otherwise it will be ruined,” said Sulhan.

He is one of the street artists in Bali that earns his living by selling affordable paintings. He never got a formal art education or took painting courses – his sense of art came after spending six years learning how to paint while working for an artist in Pondok Gede, Jakarta.

“I learnt to paint in Jakarta, but Bali is the best place to sell paintings,” he said.

Bali is famous for its flourishing art scene, which some attribute to the growing number of tourists. Increasing demand for Balinese paintings has boosted the art industry.

Street artists seize the opportunity, opening their stalls on roadsides and showcasing their best paintings to attract tourists to bring a piece of Bali home as a souvenir.

One does not have to pay millions of rupiah for a painting, some are on offer for as low as Rp 50,000 (US$4) each.

Sulhan said most of his customers are tourists who buy only a few paintings, but there are some who buy quite a few pieces to resell back in their home countries.

A strategic location on one of the busiest streets gives him an advantage. He is able to attract not only passing tourists, but also expats and locals who buy paintings to decorate their houses or villas.

Apart from selling his own artworks, Sulhan also sells some of his colleagues’ artwork from all over Bali.

In his art shop, there are plenty of paintings done in different techniques – from abstract to decorative ones – that filled up his shop.

Up for grab: Different painting styles are on offer across Bali. (JP/Intan Tanjung)

Muhammad Sulhan put some framed paintings under the sun in front of his art shop. The paintings, which have become attractive decorations for his shop, were not yet dry.

'€œMost of the customers will roll the painting up if they want to bring it home, so it needs to be completely dry, otherwise it will be ruined,'€ said Sulhan.

He is one of the street artists in Bali that earns his living by selling affordable paintings. He never got a formal art education or took painting courses '€“ his sense of art came after spending six years learning how to paint while working for an artist in Pondok Gede, Jakarta.

'€œI learnt to paint in Jakarta, but Bali is the best place to sell paintings,'€ he said.

Bali is famous for its flourishing art scene, which some attribute to the growing number of tourists. Increasing demand for Balinese paintings has boosted the art industry.

Street artists seize the opportunity, opening their stalls on roadsides and showcasing their best paintings to attract tourists to bring a piece of Bali home as a souvenir.

One does not have to pay millions of rupiah for a painting, some are on offer for as low as Rp 50,000 (US$4) each.

Sulhan said most of his customers are tourists who buy only a few paintings, but there are some who buy quite a few pieces to resell back in their home countries.

A strategic location on one of the busiest streets gives him an advantage. He is able to attract not only passing tourists, but also expats and locals who buy paintings to decorate their houses or villas.

Apart from selling his own artworks, Sulhan also sells some of his colleagues'€™ artwork from all over Bali.

In his art shop, there are plenty of paintings done in different techniques '€“ from abstract to decorative ones '€“ that filled up his shop.

Art hunting: A tourist views paintings in a shop in Bali.(JP/Intan Tanjung)
He said the most popular paintings are those showcasing Balinese dancers and the harvest scene, believed by some to bring good fortune to those who hang the paintings on the walls of their shops or offices.

'€œMy system is direct selling. I don'€™t accept commissions since I don'€™t want to be responsible if the painting gets damaged when stored. I also like to buy and resell them,'€ Sulhan said.

He likes to collect art, like two beautiful paintings that were his guru'€™s masterpieces. Unlike other paintings, which came only with the artists'€™ signatures, these two paintings were copyrighted and came with certificates to ensure the originality.

Some buyers have also turned to these street artists to produce reproductions of desired paintings.

Gede Mogi, an artist from Blahbatuh village in Gianyar, said he was often asked to produce a master painting, which was later copied into hundreds or even thousands of paintings by a group of local painters.

'€œOn some cases, customers give ideas and I translate their ideas into paintings, which are later copied. They loved the painting I created for them,'€ he says.

Currently, Mogi enjoys creating his own, original paintings and has started gaining loyal customers, mostly artists, from different parts of the world.

'€œI feel like I have much more confidence now that  know that someone loves what I create,'€ said Mogi. '€œIt makes me want to keep painting and producing artwork as much as I can. I hope art lovers can know me through my painting and understand what I try to express through it.'€