Whose Canvas: Suryani

Suryani never thought to be what she is today; a painter. She was once a gallery manager who always knew that painting is not her thing. However, working in a gallery had changed her perspective. “Everyone can paint” was a phrase that triggered her to start painting, and by 2015 she was already a full-time painter. Her paintings show beautiful depictions of women, often in a colorful manner that is so attractive to the eyes. Through her pictures, she portrays stories about life and invites people to enjoy what life throws at us.
What inspires you?
I admire W.G. Hofker’s paintings with his elegant portrayals of Balinese women, as well as Ton Schulten’s paintings which are so full of colors. In addition, I also admire the paintings by Aboriginal people. My inspirations frequently come from them, which then I combine with my own imaginations.
Observing your work, the majority of them are portraying women. Why?
I take women’s world as my theme because I am myself a woman, and it feels more stimulating when I draw it on my canvases. In addition, I choose women as the objects of my paintings because women are beautiful, interesting and unique, seen from every aspect that they have.
What is special from your art?
I like paintings that are full of vibrant colors, and I always want to show this color vibrancy as my art characteristic. It expresses happiness, and I want to see my art appreciators to feel this this aura of happiness when they bring my paintings back to their homes.
How do you insert the messages into it?
Becoming a painter makes me know myself better and understand life better. For me, art is a symbol of life; when there are more colors in it, the more beautiful it looks, and so is life. Black paint in my work does not necessarily mean that my life is dark as I believe that there will always be new colors and stories coming on the next day. Meanwhile, the white paint is a symbol of light, a kindness that will overcome everything.