05 Becoming a Wealthy Traditional Artist - Basic Knowledge in Our Field

Artists or Ceramic Artists should owe Basic Knowledge in their field. The Exploration and elaboration of the basic skill would make the artist special...
I think I have to write about it since in this information era, somebody could get a benefit from a field which he/she didn't master it well. Without strong basic knowledge, I agree that somebody might be able to make profit from certain field. But, just like a building without a strong foundation, it could be collapsed at any time.
As a ceramic artist, we should know the origin of ceramic, basic skill to shape ceramic, philosophy of ceramic, etc. It might take years to learn, but I'm sure that different learning method would create different result. No wasting time in learning.

Jinan 7th International Expo 2009 - Culture Park for Culture Exchange

In July 26th to 30th 2009 I followed an activity abroad, that was in Jinan Province – China. I was a design supervision/consultant to give advice for park as East java Participation in 7th China International Garden and Flower Expo Event. My participation in the program was to fulfill the invitation from China Government to East Java Province for the program participation.
About March, Jinan Province through Jinan Mayor with the Committee came to Surabaya offered the program to East Java Province. Next, East Java Government appointed Batu City Government to choose Park Designer also presented it in front of committee in Jinan, Meeting Public HallEast Java Province Office.

Why Should be a Registration Fee in Great Art Event?

If you read this posting, I beg your pardon since I didn’t mean to offend any institution. I just want to state something I have in mind and also some international artists who had intention to follow SERES’09 event in Eskisehir. I read some statements written by the artists which in general they were surprised about registration fee in SERES ’09.
From my experiences in following several international events, I never found any registration fee to follow the events. Some strict terms and conditions for me were good to assure the competency of the event, and I could accept them with some negotiation in here and there. In my opinion, the registration fee would make the ‘sacred’ event would seem commercial and reduced the quality of the event since skilful artists with bad financial condition certainly would find hard-way to follow the event, moreover if you needed 300 euros to follow the event (If I’m not wrong, the registration fee for SERES’09 is 300 euros). Wouldn’t it a great loss for the event?

04 Becoming a Wealthy Traditional Artist - Vision and Action

You might hear before. Vision and Action. Both of those terms should run together. In art, making creation without vision would be messy. In the contrary, vision without any action would be a daydreaming. Nothing happened. So, to be successful ceramic artist, you have to apply both, vision and action. I would give a description about applying both terms.
1. Vision
In making artwork, the most difficult part for me was finding the clear vision about what kind of artwork I would make. Here I considered all aspect, starting from theme, material, and process. When I got idea about making certain artwork, I kept it in my mind, I considered all things related to the idea. Just say I want to make a ceramic statue. I would imagine the philosophy behind the statue, how I express the philosophy into the statue’s form. I imagined how the looks, expression, signs in the statue that could represent the philosophy, etc. Then I tried to build the statue in my imagination. What material it would be formed, how it would be seemed, how the process to make it come true. I imagined it so strong so that I felt that I could touch the artwork, felt it textures, smell it, and watched the color very clear. This is really important process. It’s true that some people said that everything was created twice – once in mind and second in reality. When I found the clear vision about the artwork I would be made, I started to take action.

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION WOULD BE HELD IN INDONESIA!

Among Asian countries, Indonesia a little bit rare to have chance in creating international event in art. This event would answer the judgment. Supported by State University of Malang (Universitas Negeri Malang), there would be an exhibition held in City Library in May 15th 2009. Some international ceramic artists would take part in this event. The event has one unique theme: “Peace”. The theme would be explored and presented through artwork, especially ceramic.
As one of the participants, I would presented a figurative relief described about Rama and Shinta from Ramayana Epics.

02 Becoming a Wealthy Traditional Artist - Be Rich in Idea

Be Rich in Idea and You'd be Rich. Almost all pioneers, whether in science, business, or art focused on the importance of idea. It means that we have to be creative. Making something new or making something different could attract people's attention.Idea brought us to the new level of understanding and chance, especially in art, where everything came in mind first before it became an artwork or art performance.But how could we be rich in idea?...

I would take an example from my dimension, Ceramic art. In finding idea, I did these steps, and I hope these steps could also help you in finding new ideas, in any art application.
1. paying attention to the environment around you
The best idea source is the environment around you. If you don't mind to stop for a while, pay attention to the environment around.

01 Becoming a Wealthy Traditional Artist - Basic Capital of Traditional Artist – Heart, Brain, and Skill

To be great successful traditional artist, we should owe certain basic capital. They are mental attitudes that guide us to success. Our basic competences that would support us as traditional artist which made us special, different from the others.

The basic capital of traditional artist are:
1. Heart
Art is close related with heart. Our heart should have sense of art. We feel something beautiful, aesthetic, comfort, and excellent by heart. That’s why heart and sense are important for an artist. We feel our emotion and the art’s emotion into one harmony with heart. Heart made us possible to feel the greatness or luxury of an artwork or art perform.
2. Brain
Brain is the leader of the action. The creator of behavior we need to make an artwork. Brain lead us to make a logic and reasonable actions related with art, so that we could create an art with certain precision, shape, and expression.

00 Becoming a Wealthy Traditional Artist - Preface

One of my biggest desires is to share my knowledge about how to get wealth in traditional art. From what I’ve seen, at least in my own country, Indonesia, traditional artists were a group of people who truly care about Indonesia’s original arts. They were lack of attention and admiration, lived in poor condition, battle to survive, and what they thought only how to maintain the traditional art from the ancient ancestors.

I want to stand and fight the condition!
I want to prove that we don’t have to be poor artist. We could have a better condition. We could be rich in the same time we maintained and developed traditional art. What the benefits we got if we become a wealthy traditional artist?

Future Exhibition in National Gallery Jakarta Indonesia

About next month, I will attend exhibition held in National Gallery Jakarta Indonesia. The exhibition would be attended by local ceramic artists from Indonesia. There I would exhibit one of my artwork. It is terracotta creation titled “Kenduri di Tumpeng Terbalik” (Celebration of Upside down Ceremonial Yellow Rice Cone).
It is a description of partying people who eat ‘yellow rice dish’, but the people who got the most part are the powerful people. While ordinary people fight each other to get the end of reversed ‘yellow rice dish’. It is a symbol of injustice in society where powerful are always get the most part.

Future Park Exhibition in Jinan

This year, if everything run well, I would participate in Jinan Park Exhibition. Actually I don’t have much information about the Exhibition since my participation will be arranged by China and Indonesia Government. As far as I knew, China government representative personnel visited me in Indonesia to see my concept about cultural park. I have a vision to make a park based on combination of Indonesian culture characteristics, especially East Java.
East Java is a province in Indonesia which owed various natural resources and various cultures. It has philosophical and aesthetical value. The various natural resources have interesting thing to be formed into park element.

THE JOURNEY OF CERAMIC ART CRAFT OF INDONESIA BETWEEN OLD AND CONTEMPORARY CULTURE AS THE BASIC IDEA OF PONIMIN’S ARTWORK

A.Indonesian Local Culture as Base
1.Cultural Treasure of Nusantara (Indonesia)
In Geographic, according to cultural growth evaluation, Nusantara (old mention for Indonesia) could be told owning a geo-strategist area. There was a reason behind that term since geographical position of Nusantara --
as mention; Nusa means the island, archipelago, laid between strategic positions, those are:
a)Between West cultured Australian continent and East cultured Asian continent.
b)Between India and China which in the past were Culture centers in Sea Silk Road Line.
At that position, Nusantara became center for cultural diffusion, also became a center of cross culture. The culture diffusion and Cross Culture process happened along Nusantara’s journey.

MAGICAL DAYS IN BLUE POTTERY TRUST’S EXPLORATION IN TERRACOTTA

I have received invitation from Blue Pottery Trust Institution in New Delhi. The institution invited me to support their project titled “Exploration of Terracotta”. It is an activity where all fine-artist following Camp and Exhibition program related with creation of art from terracotta. I have created an artwork titled “Against Evil” to be shown in the exhibition.
The artwork told about scene in Ramayana story, where Rahwana was surrounded by monkey soldiers lead by Hanoman.
I have done a research about ceramic history, traditional ceramic, and ceramic technique from their sources to make a journal for workshop which would be held at the event. I also have bought ticket from Jakarta to India in order to join the event. I went to India at February 4th 2009 by flight. There I joined “Exploration of Terracotta” Event which was held by Delhi Blue Pottery Trust. I followed three major programs. They were: Camping, Exhibition, and Workshop.

PINCHING TECHNIQUE GAVE AN EXTENDED EXPRESSION FOR ARTIST IN MAKING FIGURATIVE ARTWORK

I would like to share my knowledge about pinching technique from Indonesia which has given me an extended expression in making figurative artwork.
It was called pinching technique since we shape the clay using our fingers. First of all we should imagine what we would be formed. The dimension and kind of expression should be considered first before we made the artwork. It would be better if we made a detail design first.
But if you have strong imagination, it would be great to concentrate to the shape we would make, then used our fingers to make the shape.

INDONESIAN CERAMIC AS AN EXPRESSION OF MAGIC – RELIGIOUS AND VISUAL – AESTHETICAL

Ceramic had known for long ago in whole world and also Indonesia The ancient people had also used ceramic as media to express their religious sense. For me, ancient the ancient cultural background which had acculturated with Indonesian local genius culture was an idea source which had to be dug and created for recent aesthetic expression.
Ceramic artwork to express religious sense had known in Indonesia in time of ancient Kingdom. It was formed in the shape of temples, figurative decoration, and statue in the whole Indonesia, which owed deep religious sense. The artworks described gods, religious leader, and Kings who were considered as the reincarnation of ancient gods in animism faith. When Islam entered Indonesia, ceramic was still used as media to express their religious sense in the mosques and Islamic schools.