In Reply to: Looking for places for shopping painting posted by Dongwan Cho on Friday, 13. August 1999 at 10:33 Bali Time:
You say that you would like to purchase inexpensive traditional art in Ubud. The better paintings can be purchased in Ubud, but you will pay a rather inflated price. Most of the merchandise in Ubud is imported from the surrounding areas and the quality is generally inferior to that of items in the villages. These places can be reached by car in under 2 hours and for less than 10 dollars. Better yet, Bemo transport is almost as quick as hiring a driver, far cheaper and a lot of fun. The village of Kamasan is the origin of the traditional kamasan or wayang style of art. If you chose to visit this town, ask for directions to the home of Nyoman Arcana. He is a young and talented artist. Nyoman has received many international awards for his work and his paintings can be found on display in galleries throughout Europe, North America and Asia. His parents and Grand parent are very warm people and extremely proud of their son and would be happy to display his portfolio. Art in Kamasan ranges in price depending on the artist and the quality. Some small pieces can be had for only a few dollars, where as Nyomans work tops out at about 100 dollars.(after bartering, as always) 40 dollars will buy you a beautiful 30cm by 60cm piece. Other famous international artists, such as Nyoman Mandra command a much higher price. The same art in Ubud may by inflated in price by as much as 10x. I hope that this is of some help to you and also hope that you enjoy your trip.