more to come..


sculpture is everywhere in Bali










some kookier stuff




and some more



I really like that brain looking thing. Though I'm not sure what it really is.



And another shot of the stretch scoot.

I wish I had taken a side snap of it.



The gruesome figures with the women and the one of the hound surround a small temple that worships the god Shiva, one of the three main gods in this form of Hinduism. Balinese hinduism is a bit different from Indian.
The temple was placed close to the villages burial grounds.


Edit:

Here are some pics of those wood carvings I was telling you about.

From a big wood sculpture premises about 1/2hr out of ubud. There a few of these large style shop compounds that cater to a wealthy market. The wood is the best quality and the craftsmenship is excellent. There are some fantastic pieces here and also some silly or just wrong. I didnt get many shots off here. Just a few of the ones I liked and disliked most, I'll let you wonder which I liked and disliked

(excuse the pic quality).










One of the Artisans at work right on the floor outside of the main showroom.



And here is a shot of the other end of the carving market



A nice simple carving, great subject matter.
Not sure of the message here but cool none the less.



I would like to hop onto my soapbox right now and let you know a little a bout the plight of the bali dog with a picture and a link to an organisation that could do with any help it can get (hint, hint).


These poor guys are everywhere in Bali.

BAWA is a cool organisation headed by a lovely and passionate North American woman, Janice Girardi (I know because I was lucky enough to meet her). Along with a dedicated team. They are doing their best to help the situation and have made excellent headway..... But are seriously up against it.

Here is a link to there site. Check 'em out.
http://www.bawabali.com/about.html

If nothing else you could sign the petition this would be a major help for them.
The link to the petition is on the right of the page. They are nearly at their goal of 1500 signatures!


And while Im up on the box. I might aswell say that if anyone goes to Bali. If you go there with nothing in your suitcase and lets face it you may aswell 'coz you can buy whatever you need there. Then its a great idea to take stuff with you to give to any charity in Bali. Its something that a growing amount of Autralians (and I am sure other nationalities) are doing. Just load up your outbound luggage with whatever. Blankets clothes pillows books toys tools anything you think they could use. These people are extremely poor and can do with this stuff.
Hops of soapbox.

That's an awesome pic of the road-beaten??Lamby! Never been to Bali, looks like you had fun touring this place.

Yeah Jay its a magic place. That scooter has a sidecar that is so low. I'll post another shot of the top scooter its a stretch about 6ft long. I bought some nice paintings off those guys they do some pretty rad stuff.

i need to get out of America....I can't wait to leave for a while...great pics..I need to put Bali on my list

Nice pictures, that must have been an amazing trip, how long were you over there ?

RC, Do it mate. You'll love it.

Zaaier, I was there for 9 days. Of course I want to go back asap.

More sculpture pics added.

Awesome pics! Thanks for sharing!

Cheers Monkey.

Edit: double posted

This sculpture is amazing, I love the art in Bali. Did you end up picking up any pieces for your personal collection? I remember that post you made asking if anyone wanted a piece or something. I once saw this amazing St. Michael slaying satan wood carving from there, it was like 8 grand here. A lot of the stuff their you almost have to go hand pick since its all hand made it each has its own little charm. Looks like your trip was awesome, so did you find any good local foods/eateries?

Hey Collinshots, That sculpt is rad and the green moss make them that much better. I spent most my money on 3 large original canvas pieces by an artist named S. Baumar. He does large messy unrefined paintings. (I aint no critic). On a anti~pop tip.
But Ive put some thought into bringing over carvings both stone and wood and possibly some furniture. Though the thought of all that environmental destruction has me thinking wether I could do it responsibly.

I will dig out some pics of a carving shop I went to. It was a big operation and very expensive as I think they mostly cater to wealthy Chinese and the like. To tell you the truth most of the stuff is pretty crap.(in the big money shops), the carving skill is second to none but the subject matter was . the pics will explain...

As far as food was concerned being a vegetarian can be tricky in asian countries as fishpaste or sauce is used in most dishes and asking the waiters or cooks about this gets tiring so this trip I ate purely western, indian and japaenese food. Its the first time I have done that and I have been to Bali before and also China and Thailand.
It was an easy choice as everywhere in Bali offers excellent Western and indian grub for a fraction of the price back home. There were also some excellent vehetarian restaurants But for meat eaters the choices of cheap indonesian food is staggering.

Fuck, I don't believe this! Man, I just got word that we're going to Bali on the 24th of November for an official trip.

Germs man, please help me plan out some interesting visits since I think we ( 2 office mates and the wife) are not gonna stay long.

Lucky Bugger!
I will post up or pm some spots tonight-(or morning for north hem').

yes!!

I looked at this and was sentimental--I have some of the same pictures from my trip to Bali two years ago. It is such beautiful place. I recognize many of pictures as Ubud, Bali. Very nice town!

Looks like there are sculpts pretty much everywhere!
Just amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Def on my list of places I'd like to travel to.

Yes Ubud, a chilled arts town, my fav' place. This is a place I highly recommend.

edit
and Ive added those pictures of the wood carvings (above)

Its so hard to see animals like that, last time I was in cancun I bought a whole steak dinner plate and fed it to a stray, it was scared to even take it. Right before I just traded the kid at mcdonalds my brand new fitted LA hat and an OC1503 one for his plastic mcdonalds visor, everyone thought I was nuts. Its always fun to pack extra stuff to give people on a trip, brings them so much joy and is something they couldn't get there sometimes. I have literally given people the shirt off my back when they asked and then bought a plain shirt off a random cart. Awesome way to get to go get a good home cooked meal and a Anthony Bourdain no reservations type experience.

I wonder if those carvers could make a cool baphomet if you were in town long enough, maybe one in stone.........

Those ladies really like enoki mushrooms to make those giant carvings of them

JAY--where are you going to be for your trip? I can give you loads of recommendations in Seminyak and Ubud and Denpasar if you like.

I have not checked the details---but it is probably a place huge enough to be a convention/seminar place.

Me and my colleagues will attend this years Asia Pacific Broadcasters Union event. I will go check exactly where.