1. Different Craft Workshops in Bali
W.S. Art Studio offers a wide range of artistic workshops. This is your time to learn
something new that you could use as a business or for personal interests. This will
definitely tickle your imaginative and creative sides.
Here are some of the workshops that are available for you:
 Silver Jewelry. Silver is the most valuable earth mineral, second only to gold.
Like gold, silver is malleable and can be manipulated using heat and jeweler’s
tools. You can customize your own individual piece of jewelry or create an
original piece to present as a gift to a loved one. Included in this workshop is 5
grams of silver, which is normally enough to craft a pendant or ring.
 Mask carving. This is the act of manipulating wood to craft a carved face. Let
our experienced teacher guide you from raw wood to a finished wood mask
sculpture in just a few hours time. Traditionally, masks portray gods, demons
and alternative “personalities” that express both the mask-wearer’s fears and
strengths. Where will your new mask take you, into the realm of the Hindu
beings that “balance” the world, good and evil, yin and yang?
 Wood carving. One of the world’s oldest known art forms, wood carving is a way
of shaping wood into a variety of different shapes and forms. Using the
traditional tools and techniques of the master carver, our teacher will help
guide the novice carver towards their goal of creating a unique wood art piece
in just a few short hours.
 Stone carving. Let our master carver introduce you to the age-old craft of
carving in stone. Probably most suitable for adults, this introduction to the
delicate task of working a figure from within a piece of stone will challenge
anyone who has enjoyed the ever-present stone carvings that grace most
Balinese temples and homes. Time constraints usually limit the subject to a
simple flower-relief creation, or something similar.
 Fruit carving. An appetizing way to present your own work of art at mealtimes
for friends and family. A really fun class where the student learns a variety of
techniques for forming fruit and vegetables into wonderful motifs like flowers
and butterflies. A great way to spend time with your children, carving one’s
own edible art.

2.  Batik. Spend a morning or an afternoon learning the traditional wax-drawing
and wax-resistant color dyeing techniques that have made Bali’s batik makers
famous for their lively designs and Hindu motifs. Everyone can enjoy this
immersion into batik fabric painting. One of our most popular classes!
 Traditional painting. Traditional Balinese painting involves a two-dimensional
expression of repeated themes such as island landscapes, fruit and animal still-
life and pastoral or spiritual-themed subjects. In this introductory course, the
student will get be guided to create a small canvas depicting one of these
themes. Appropriate for both experienced artists and the curious, the student
will enjoy this half-day venture into the island’s artistic expressionism.
 Bamboo weaving. Bamboo is the ubiquitous grass (yes, it’s a grass) that has
been used for innumerable applications in Asian history. This pliable, sturdy
plant has been used by the Balinese for centuries as a handy, quick
“packaging” for the daily offerings that are the heart of Balinese Hinduism.
Spend a delightful morning learning some of the unique weaving techniques
that the Balinese have created over the years to make their daily offerings
pleasing and meaningful.
 Lontar weaving. Like bamboo, Lontar is a kind of palm tree that is common to
the Indonesian islands. The leaves of this tree are used in a variety of ways for
weaving and as thatch. Balinese artisans have learned how to score the lontar
using sharp knives and chisels to craft words and images that come to life when
a natural ink-like ash is applied to the worked lontar. Quite beautiful to see. A
steady hand will get you a unique new piece of original art.
 Balinese dance. Nearly every visitor to Bali takes the opportunity to watch one
or more of the many, stylized Bali dances that are performed nearly every
evening on the island. Dance and music have thrived in Bali for centuries.
Balinese dancers begin to learn their steps and body alignment as young
children, and most professional dancers “retire” when they marry. As young
men and women, these dancers form traveling dance and music troupes and vie
amongst themselves for local and island-wide celebrity. Balinese dances are
highly-choreographed and tradition-bound, not unlike classical Russian ballet. A
dancer usually performs and practices many years before her repertoire is
mature and complete.
 Bamboo carving. Ayu would like to offer the opportunity for people to
experience bamboo carving at her gallery. This is a new class. Our teacher will
guide students to create either bamboo animal carvings like dragonflies or

3. butterflies; or, if you’d prefer, a wind chime or a small flute. This style of
carving is new- utilizing bamboo to craft pieces of art in a ‘modern style’. The
simple forms make this carving style easy to follow; but because bamboo is
carved with a knife- we recommend that children younger that 12 years of age
take advantage of our wood carving class as a suitable alternative.
 Offerings. For hundreds of years, Balinese families have passed down the ritual
of daily offerings, called canang, from mother to daughter. Each day, the
women create these small, hand-woven coconut-leaf baskets. The baskets
contain the flower, fruit, rice and food offerings for the Hindu Deities that the
women pray to each day. The baskets can be rather simple to construct, or can
involve a delicate, creative touch- there are many forms that canang can take.
The offerings are inseparable from prayer in Hindu belief, as the purpose of the
offering is to sustain and patronize the Gods- who are then more likely to
respond to one’s prayers.