Woodcarving: A Balinese tradition
Woodcarving in Bali has changed a lot in the last 100 years. Orignally Balinese wood carving was purely for decoration, then with the start of tourism it developed into a business. The Balinese use woodcarving to decorate doorways, temples and family structures and in places like Ubud one can see some fine examples of bales that have carved, painted ceiling and sides. Tourism created a demand for the Balinese skill of woodcarving and also allowed their natural creativeness to flow. Large chunks of wood are sometimes used as tables are turned into a part tree, part carving, giving a psychedelic affect almost.
Ubud and the surrounding area is the center of Balinese wood carving. 'Jati', or teakwood used to grow in forests in the north of Bali and has largely been wiped out by the demand for wood. Friends of mine who sell antiques are continually searching for large chunks of jati to sell to carvers or other westerners hoping to have some piece of furniture made. If you have lunch at Made's Warung in Seminyak you will see large slabs of wood lined up, very expensive no doubt.
Last year a friend of mine was getting frustrated over a tree! He bought a tree in Lombok and paid 1.5m rp for it. He paid another 1m rp to have it chopped down and cut into 1 meter slabs about 2 ft thick. He has a customer for one slab who wanted it round on 2 sides and straight on the others. Getting on the phone to the guy in Lombok he tried to explain what he wanted, but the guy couldn’t understand. Finally he had to get on a plane and go to Lombok to show the guy how to cut the wood. Some people have a very different lifestyle for sure.
Other woods used in Balinese carvings are belalu, which is a quick-growing light wood, sandalwood, with its pleasant aroma, for small pieces, ebony and jackfruit.
By Nick | Permalink
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I want to buy some large home decor items such as palm trunk containers, stone statues, and carved teak doors for personal use in the US. I’ve identified a website, but how do I know if they are reputable or not? You’ve mentioned to stay away from places operating from Ubud. Is there anyway you guys can tell a legitimate website from a scam?