Art In Ubud

Of course, we had to see at least one art museum while in Ubud, being that it is known for being the center of art trends in Bali! We tried to visit the Women's Art Museum, unfortunately it was closed, but we had more luck when we went on to the Treads of Life Indonesian Textile Art Center. It was a small, but beautiful shop/center, and we admired the beautiful fabrics on display from various parts of Indonesia. They had great explanations on the process and history of the various weaving and coloring techniques and it is such a worthy undertaking, supporting the traditional skills and preserving and supporting the local artists. We also visited various art galleries but in general I must say there were a lot of "cookie cutter" art, and I only saw a couple of artist's galleries that I really liked.
Finally we walked out to the Blanco Renaissance Museum, which was situated out by the river bridge where we had started our bird walk the previous day. It was a beautiful museum – over the top a bit perhaps, but we thoroughly enjoyed it – as well as Antonio Blanco's artwork! His style is best compared to the impressionist's with a twist! The twist being his framing, which is extremely ornate and part of the artwork in many cases. He also uses collage and poems on many of his pieces, and it is quite obvious that he loved the ladies! If you ever come to Ubud don't miss it!