During a tour of my exhibition with participants of the workshop
My first encounter with Indonesia was 1996. Indonesia conquered my heart at first sight and felt like a second love. Some paintings that I previously had made on the basis of photographs I took in my luggage. These were very enthusiastically received and formed an encouragement and cause for an exhibition in Jakarta in 1997 in the club of bank managers in the building of the Niaca Bank.
Participants in my workshop in the club of the Niaca Bank
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Traditionally dressed children, festive sarongs and endearing little faces
The meeting with the friendly people on Bali and the relaxed atmosphere felt like a pleasant bath.
The tranquillity of the rice fields, suddenly appearing ceremonies of beautifully dressed men and women, markets, plowing Buffalo on the sawahs, everything was an unforgettable and inspiring beauty.
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No gloom at a cremation, but rich dressed stretchers as here at the cremation of the Prince of Ubud .

Wood carvers are artists by nature. In this workshop gamelans are expertly carved and painted

Our quest on bumpy roads and vast fields is always surprising amid the tranquillity of rural life.
Usually we are early on the way to see people at work on the sawahs in the cultivation of rice.
Some take care of the planting. Others plow the fields with buffalo or save the rice grains from the mature culms on wooden boards.
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The cheerful twittering of many workers heard from afar on the paddy field
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Sulistyo, our driver
In Java we are always accompanied by our friend Bambang Sanyoto. That friendship began in 1997. Every year he came to the Pasar Malam Besar in The Hague for the tourism sector. At the Pasar he was neighbours of our galleries. As a manager in the hotel sector he is well introduced in tourism, but also he is a connoisseur of Javanese culture and he has excellent connections with the press and with members of the Kraton of Yogyakarta. Like no other he knows places where markets are still authentic or where we could visit special batik workshops.

Bambang, friend and connoisseur of Java
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walkin over the sawah
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With miss Ir. Soeliantoro, conservator batik traditions, in the gardens of Bantul
On one of our tours we met Mrs Ir. Etty Soeliantoro at one of her projects. The batik workshop in Bantul produces a distinctive blue with brown batik print, a unique and traditional working method that was about to disappear but was revitalised by her effort. She spoke with us in beautiful Dutch and treated us to a delicious lunch. Later, she invited us into her beautifully restored colonial House in Yogyakarta, along with other artists, architects and a well-known fashion designer. It was a special evening in the tropical setting of an authentic colonial decor.

According to the court tradition every Sunday the dancers are acting with a large gamelan orchestra.
Through the connections of Bambang with the Kraton of Yogyakarta we had access behind the scenes where I was free to photograph or sketch the dancers. Unlike most other performances it is exceptional to be given this freedom by the Kraton and it was a great privilege to meet one of the Topeng (mask) dancers who I later made the subject of a large painting. He was so relaxed as we were talking and so focused later on in his dance.

According to the court tradition every Sunday the dancers are acting with a large gamelan orchestra.

Dancer with a beautiful headdress is dancing like a wajang doll.

The women who manufacture the court sarongs with infinite patience and concentration using traditional centuries-old patterns.
For generations, the liquid wax has been applied in the same way, at the same pace and with the same zeal. On heyday, when the Sultan and his courtiers are seen in public in their precious robes, the skill of the women work is on display. That is the silent reward of all their work.
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Local pasar
One of the recurring topics in my work, and a favourite of the buyers of my paintings, are the vibrant pasar scenes. Ordinary life and tradition are here interwoven. Look at the natural materials, the colourful fruits and vegetables or the daily objects that have been in use for centuries. The pasar is just as vital as mundane, but also nostalgic.
Bambang always surprises us with special pasars in the region.
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The batik women in front of their studio.
In Semarang we walked through lanes and streets to places where batik is still made in an authentic way. Helpful people brought everything out, so we could take good pictures of them. We were so grateful to them and the farewell was very moving.
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The batik women in front of their studio
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The batik women in front of their studio
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The Phoenix hotel
Travelling in Indonesia is exciting but tiring because of the long days we’re on the road.
How wonderful it is to return to our room in the colonial style Phoenix hotel, a relaxed and comfortable place to be. It feels good to clean our shoes of the sawah dust and refresh ourselves so we can enjoy our dinner. We’re talking about the experience of that day and look back on the pictures we took. In our minds we see paintings take shape and secretly we look forward to the adventure of tomorrow

Ambassador Dr. Abdul Irsan and Cultural Attaché Dr. T.R. Andi Lolo at the Embassy in The Hague, 2000
Back in The Netherlands I made a selection from all pictures and drawings and I withdraw in my studio. I added my impressions together into compositions as the basis for my paintings.
These were then seen on the biggest event outside Indonesia, the Tong Tong Fair in the Hague as well as at other locations. The Netherlands have a very large group of Indonesian Dutch people who maintain an emotional connection with the land of their origin and cherish the cultural heritage enthusiastically with excellent music and dance groups. Indonesian food, and particular the rice table is famous in The Netherlands!
During my exhibitions on the Indonesian Embassy a good relationship with the staff was formed.
Successive Ambassadors have bought my paintings and have carried out the festive opening of my exhibitions in museums in The Netherlands.

Ambassador Dr. E.F. Habibi at the opening of the exhibition in the Westfries Museum in Hoorn, 2007.

Deputy Ambassador Dr. Umar Hadi at Castle Zeist, 2011