Wayan Puspa

?My name is I Wayan Puspa. I was born in 1950. Peliatan Village is my birthplace; more precisely in Banjar Teges Kanginan. The area is famous for its sculptures, <i>semar pegulingan</i> music and <i>kecak</i> dance. As a wood craftsman, I learned most of my skills from my environment, although I got a little knowledge from my parents.<br><br> ?Unfortunately, my father died when I was little, therefore I only learned from my village environment. Due to economic problems, I did not even finish elementary school. My sculpting career started in 1967, when I was helping with my uncle's business. All the works that I produce are more or less related to Balinese culture, but most of my work deals with animals. This has been the specialty of my work. <br><br> ?Since childhood I felt that my life was full of stress and anxiety, so sculpting was always my outlet. Sculpture is not only my job, but also my hobby. Finding inspiration is one of the most fun parts of sculpting. In addition, I intersperse my work with jokes and laughter to relieve fatigue. <br><br> ?Most of my works use suar, sonokeling, and waru woods. Of all the animal works that I have produced, elephants are the most challenging and what I am most proud of. In the world of art, sometimes some friends try to imitate my work, and some of them can do it. However, for the elephant sculptures they have difficulty making works that resemble mine. It is like my work already has a soul of its own, so that it is difficult for others to imitate. <br><br> ?I worked with 3 members of my family and was assisted by 3 additional craftsmen. But unfortunately, now all of them are no longer working with me because this pandemic has forced me to send all my employees home. <br><br> ?I am a person who finds it difficult to open up about my problems. I'm used to keeping it to myself. For me, the ups and downs of life are normal. As long as we live sincerely, everything will pass. Sculpting is my life; even my family's life, because from sculpting I can support them until they can finish school. <br><br> ?I hope that with Novica I can continue to sculpt and that my work can always be enjoyed by people. Because when people like our work, it is the highest award for a sculptor."