Last two drawings – Bali Journal

Cafe Bunete Ubud Bali. Watercolor and ink

I just realised how long it has been since I last posted and it has been ages.  My day job has been totally flat out and I have just not had enough energy left to draw.  But it is slowing down a bit and I have had a chance to finish the last two drawings in my Bali journal.

The above drawing is of a cafe we dropped into during the heat of the day to cool off before we went to the spa.  It was so inviting and the bright silk cushions were so lovely and bright in the dim coolness.  The food and service that we had in Bali was excellent, but the thing that stands out most in my mind was the lime drinks.  I wasn’t able to drink alcohol while I was away, (when I get too tired it just gives me a headache, alas for all the lovely cocktails I couldn’t sample), but the non-alcoholic drinks available were awesome.   Some had lime and mint, others had spices like cinnamon and two or three vanilla pods.  Vanilla pods were clearly cheaper there than at home.

I am really happy with the layout of this and the next spread that I did, I think I am finally getting the hang of journal page layout.  I like the visual link between the pages where the drawing either goes onto the next page or the little illustration links across.  This gives more interest to the journal pages and makes it a journal rather than a book of different drawings.

Cafe spread Watercolour and ink Bali Journal 2015

Taksu Spa Spread Water colour and Ink Bali Journal 2015

The Spa drawing is of Taksu Spa in Ubud and it is a divine place. The Spa complex spans a creek bed and you climb down into the creek gully into this wonderful  alternate universe with pavilions floating in the pools, water lilies, ferns and aerial roots from the figs above hanging down.  The treatments were also pretty good too.

Taksu Spa Ubud Bali Water colour and ink Bali Journal 2015

Well that is all of the main drawings done for the journal, I just have to add some photos and neaten up a few pages and it will all be complete.  It has been a magical trip and I have really enjoyed making the journal, even though it took much longer than I had hoped.  Like all these things I have learned such a lot by doing it and the memories from this trip are saved in such a wonderful way.

Karen

 

Temples and Palaces – Bali Journal

Ubud Palace Carving, Ink, graphite and water colour Bali Journal 2015

Bali is known as the island of temples and indeed it is easy to think that almost every building in Bali is either a temple or a shop.  On this trip I begun to have a better understanding of the Balinese religion and the role of the temples in every day life.  Every Balinese house has a temple, one at the door to avert evil spirits, and then a little temple complex in the house compound for temples to their ancestors and the particular gods that they worship.  They were sometimes very elaborate or just often just simple, the structure of the temple was not as important as the spirits they contain.

I just loved all the intricate carvings that were everywhere and in particular the juxtaposition of the white stone against the old red bricks of the building.  So many patterns and designs, it was heaven.

Palace Dog, Water colour Bali Journal 2015

There are many dogs in Bali, some are treasured pets, others are very street wise strays.  The Balinese used to have a terrible problem with stray dogs and rabies, but a concerted effort between the Balinese government and Australian and other international vets have helped to sort out the problem.  Without a specific breeding program the dogs have reverted back to their archetypal form as seen above.  Sort of like a pointy eared Labrador.  (I just learnt that fact from a TV dog show the other day, but 90% of the dogs in Bali were of this type so it made sense to me and I thought I would sound knowledgeable for a moment).  This one had a collar (but no tail) so I presume he was loved by someone in the palace.

By the way this is a drawing by me without any black outlines!!, it was hard to do, but occasionally I just like to prove to myself that I can do it.

Nature Temples Pen and ink Bali Journal 2015

Here are some of the less ornate temples, these were nature temples near a farm we passed.  The tall brick one is for the male nature spirits and the smaller wooden one is for the female spirits.  My understanding is they were to pray to the old nature spirits to say thank you for letting the farmer use the land and keep on the right side of them.  The Balinese religions combines their old nature spirit worship, Hindu gods and ancestor worship.  A full time job to keep all of them happy, but the island has the most beautiful quality to it, that many people put down to this sincere incorporation of the spiritual into their everyday lives.

Bamboo Bridge Sapu Lidi Resort Ubud Ink and water colour Bali Journal 2015

I really struggled with this drawing of a beautiful bamboo bridge, the proportions somehow got completely out of whack, but the feel is something like the original.  Here is also an offering box that are seen outside every house or business every day.  I think the bridge had one because of the cross over of a path and water.

Balinese Pattern water colour and ink Bali Journal 2015

Lastly is a pattern page.  Hope you have enjoyed this revisited of the journal.  I still have quite a few pages to go, so I will be back with more.  I am determined to complete this journal, then it will be the first travel journal that is finished.  It is the year for finishing journals, as I have only two more pages to complete my sketch book.  That is really exciting as I have never kept up sketching for that long either.

Karen

More from Bali

Balinese Door Water colour and Ink Bali 2015 Journal

Although I am now back from Bali, I still have some more drawings that I want to do in my journal.  I had a great time there, relaxing and so beautiful.  I really like the Balinese they are very welcoming and have a great sense of humour.

Breakfast over looking the rice fields Ubud Bali

One of the things that I enjoyed in our stay in Ubud was having breakfast in the outdoor restaurant overlooking the rice fields and watching flocks of little birds feasting on the just ripening grain.  It took us ages to find out what they were as there were two different colourings of the same bird.  So here is a drawing of a cinnamon munia, but there were also ones that were dark chestnut and cream.

Cinnamon Munias Water colour and ink Bali 2015 journal

The gardens at the resort were beautiful and these following two drawings were at the resort.  There were loads of heleconias, one of my favourite group of flowers as they are so architectural.  I have seen some of them in florists, but this is the first time I had seen them growing, truly bizarre shapes.

Heliconias watercolour pencil and ink Bali 2015 Journal

The first drawing in the post is of a doorway leading up to on of the villas at the resort, they had different doorways for some of the villas.  The carving and colours were just so beautiful I had to draw one.

Karen

Ubud – Come and meet our Lily pond

Lily Pond at Sapu Lidi Resort Ubud. Water colour and ink

We are spending most of our time in Ubud.  I visited quickly on my last holiday and decided to spend most of my time here on this holiday and I am so very happy that I have.  There is so much to do and see here, with slightly fewer tourist.  Ubud is more in the centre of Bali, it is seen as the cultural heart and they are so generous in sharing their culture and history.

The drawing is the view from our room.  It literally sits right on the edge of this lake/pond and I look over it from my bed and sit on the edge (another day bed) and draw.  It just doesn’t get better than this.

Water lily pond Sapu Lidi Resort Ubud

We have been watching all the wild life in and around the pond and I have tried to add them into the picture.  The stars are the water lilies, they open at night after dusk and will close again at midday.  The buds grow at incredible speed they will poke their heads up out of the water in the morning and grow at least two feet during the day and just start to open by the evening.  They will flower for a few days then slowly sink back under.

There is also the swallows that fly over the pond skimming off the bugs from the surface.  So many do this that you can hear the clack of their wings.  They tag team with the bats who take over at dusk (though they didn’t get into the picture)  There is also a water hen that stalks the lily pads at dusk and dawn and makes quite a racket.  There are some very large fish and one huge golden carp that you just see a flash of his gold back as he jumps for food.  There are also a couple of two metre water monitor lizards that cruise across the pond on a regular basis going from the bank to under the pavilion.  They will drag themselves out over the lily pads if they get in their path.  I dangled my toes in the water on the first day but not after seeing these creatures.

Water Hen on the pond near our patio. (you can see the edge of the day bed) Ubud Bali

There are also great big fat, black, shiny bumble bees with one red stripe that hover over the lily flowers drinking their nectar and amazingly bright dragonflies some red others blue.  It has been such a joy to just sit here and observe all these creatures in this gorgeous location.

Hope you liked it too.

Karen

Ubud

Temple Ubud Water colour, coloured pencils and ink journal

I spent the day yesterday travelling to Ubud to have a look at the local art and craft.  Had a lovely day just not what I expected.  Ubud is a village in the hinterland of Bali and in the hills, but before your mind goes to quaint little village nestled in the rice paddies and jungles, that is what it was, not what it is today.  We didn’t get out of the urban sprawl, there was only an occasional rice paddy in amongst the shops, temples, shops, houses and more shops.

Ubud journal page

There was certainly a great deal of craft, each village (suburb) has it own craft specialty and we passed kilometres of stone carving  shops, I don’t know how you would choose which one to go in.

Me at the coffee tasting

 

I hired a driver for the day, such a lovely gentle man, he choose were to go and I did not quibble as the thought of sorting out which one would be best was beyond me.  So I visited Batik, silver jewellery, fine art and temples.  The art gallery was much better than what I feared and amongst many touristy paintings was some really nice and interesting work.  I bought this little painting as I like this naive style.  All the patterns and details were so well done. ( I lost the piece of paper with the nae of the artist on it will have to email the store for it)

Balinese Painting

I didn’t have time to get to the rice terraces, but had lunch amongst rice paddies instead.

Made it to my new villa where we will have the art retreat, it is a little piece of Balinese heaven, show you that next post.

Karen