'Pokemon Pikachu' (Courtesy of Ronald Apriyan)

A popular local shoe company in Jakarta once approached artist Ronald Apriyan, offering a commission to hand paint its shoes.

He was aware he could earn a good living from such a project considering the rising trend of customization in the luxury fashion industry.

The artist, who is based in Yogyakarta, prefers to focus on painting on canvas instead.

However, he said he could not decline if a request came from a die-hard fan of his paintings, such as Robert Harianto, a news anchor who regularly makes vlogs about sneakers for his YouTube channel. 

Recently, Ronald doodled on a pair of Robert’s white Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, decorating them with colorful, artsy lines and swirls. He did not charge a fee for his services and said it was his way of thanking the presenter for collecting his paintings.

“I am still committed to painting on canvas. The shoes I paint is to show appreciation to collectors of my paintings,” the 40-year-old said at his studio in Bantul, Yogyakarta.    

On the Indonesian art scene, Ronald’s paintings are known for featuring cute characters that depict droids, UFO and animals, such as crabs, dragonflies and roosters — and anything else that his imagination can conjure, with eye-popping, attractive colors for people of all ages.

His paintings are often associated with children and toddlers as his works are inspired by drawings by children, which he says are pure and honest in the context of expressing feelings, creativity and imagination.

“I myself like to play with children. I want to make works that can spark children’s spirit of freedom and happiness with a selection of colors that can be also visually enjoyed by adults,” said the father of three. 

Painting, for him, is also a medium to recall the activities of his childhood in a small village in Palembang, South Sumatra, in the 1980s, from playing soccer to swimming in the river to watching his favorite cartoons on TV.

A painting titled Song of Life, which Ronald showcased during the “Imaginarium: Into the Space of Time” exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum in Singapore, for example, visualizes parents’ hopes and prayers for their children in the popular Indonesian children’s songs that he often sang when he was little — such as “Bintang Kecil” (Twinkle Little Star), “Naik Naik ke Puncak Gunung” (Up and Up to the Mountain) and “Satu Satu Aku Sayang Ibu” (One and One, I Love You Mother).  

Ronald admitted his childhood stories were not always as playful as the vibrant colors of his paintings as he often fought with other children. When he was at home, he liked to seclude himself to draw under a table or on the bed. 

“[When I was little] I enjoyed being alone, expressing my imagination on paper,” he recalled, believing that he inherited his skills from his mother, who also loved drawing. 

After graduating from high school, he moved to Bandung, West Java, to continue his education at Padjadjaran University’s School of Mathematics and Science in 1997 but decided to quit after three years as he felt that he was not passionate about his major, mathematics. 

His friends then advised him to sign up at the Indonesia Arts Institute (ISI) Yogyakarta. He followed the suggestion in 2000 but did not pass the school’s competitive entrance test. 

“It turned out getting accepted to ISI was not as easy as my friends assumed,” he said. 

Ronald decided to stay in Yogyakarta and paint seriously in the city while waiting to take the ISI admission test the following year. In 2001, he took another shot but did not make it again. 

“After I failed twice, I did not want to try again. However, my friend asked me to keep trying and not to give up. It turned out that my third attempt [in 2002] was successful,” he recalled.      

After five years at ISI, he decided not to finish his education because he wanted to focus on working after getting married.

For him, to get recognition as an artist required unflinching determination not a diploma.

“Working as an artist is difficult. That is why many graduates of art schools do not work in the art world,” he said. 

The fact he dropped out of two prestigious universities and had yet to gain financial stability left his family worried about his future.      

After years of obscurity, Ronald’s art career began to take off after he took part in the 2015 UOB Painting of the Year competition. He did not win but his painting, Berkah Garuda (Blessing of Garuda), gained attention. 

Since then his work has drawn the attention of many, such as Pantene, ARTOTEL Indonesia and Oppo Indonesia. The smartphone manufacturer even used his drawing, titled The Future, to adorn its limited-edition Reno 10x Zoom launched in August last year during Oppo’s Renoscape exhibition at Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta.  

Ronald attributed his success to noted artist Yunizar for mentoring him in 2015.

To have Yunizar as a mentor was unbelievable for Ronald because many said he was a difficult person to work with. “He is the silent type but I admire his work and personality,” Ronald said. 

One of Yunizar’s criticisms of Ronald four years ago was that his paintings did not reflect who he really was as an artist. During his three-month mentorship, the veteran artist helped him find his artistic identity on canvas.  

Ronald also showcased his paintings at the Art Plus Shanghai International Fair in October and the Shenzhen International Art Fair in November in China last year. 

His work was also on display during the “Saya Berani” (I am Brave) art exhibition held by UNAIDS Indonesia at Gran Mahakam Hotel in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, in December to commemorate World AIDS Day.  

Currently, Ronald is preparing a number of paintings for his upcoming solo exhibition at Jumee Kim Gallery in South Korea in March this year. 

He said his paintings could change in style as he liked to try new things, but that his desire to spread happiness would always be his defining theme.

“[Yunizar] keeps on expecting more from me, challenging me to always make better works,” Ronald said. (ste)

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