Bali’s Master Egg Painter

Czar Alexander of Russia commissioned the famous artist Faberge in 1883 to paint the 1st of 57 eggs as a birthday gift to his wife. These eggs, over time, are priceless to collectors. A new egg painting art form began in Bali in 1992 by Ketut Wikarta in the small village of Semana, near Ubud at the request of a German tourist. Perhaps his unique art as painted on large eggs may come to rival those "Faberge" eggs as collectors’ items. To date, I have purchased 12 in this belief; most valuable are the Ramayana scenes in black & white. Simply Exquisite!

Ketut began his art training at grade 4 by learning to paint on canvass (age 11). As his art blossomed, he began to experiment with various media and settled on eggs as he reasoned there were none being painted in Bali and there might be more profits for his family. The learning curves took him through many trials and errors until his form was perfected. The one he remembers best is realizing that the yolk inside the egg must be drained away before painting, else over time, the rotting egg will begin to smell.
He was assisted in developing his techniques by a small group of Ubud artist friends who provided him suggestions on how to paint a scene on a non-flat surface and to mix his paints so they would not ruin or streak on application. He developed a mix of paints, in addition to using a clear seal to keep the colors brilliant, over time. Depending on the scenes, each egg may receive 12 color coats and a smoothing sealer application. A custom order may require up to 2 weeks to complete. He has a wide variety of "stock" painted eggs in his small shop to sell to the person who is in Bali for a shorter time.
He paints on eggs of all sizes; the best to show scenes are the large, unfertilized ostrich eggs imported form Australia. Duck and chicken eggs are also painted. The egg liquid is drained through a small hole in the bottom. The shell is rinsed of residue to avoid bad smells before he paints.
Ketut’s designs began with scenes he knew while growing up in his village. Religion, daily life, cremations, weddings, etc. Later, he added scenes from what he saw in magazines or on TV. One of his best and most realistic non-Bali paintings are the underwater depictions of turtles and marine life. Amazing, in that he does not swim and has never seen a fish in its habitat.
Clients now bring him photos of their favorite subjects from clowns to birds to replicate on the large eggs. Each is a collector’s item, as is the woven thatch box and stand provided for each order.
Ketut came to my attention when I stayed at a 5 star hotel in Nusa Dua, where he had a small table near the restaurants. Later he moved to other hotels in Kuta. Now he paints from his village where he and his family are building a small art shop to display his art along with a workroom. A visit may find him sitting cross legged on the floor; tiny paint brush in hand. Ketut does not yet have a computer or an e-mail address. Maybe some day.
Should you wish to meet him and perhaps also become a collector, drop us an e-mail note. Other painters in Bali copy his art on eggs. Ketut is THE Master egg painter with no true comparison. (BTN/Larry McKenna)