The man behind MAHA Art Studio is I Wayan Lisih Sugiarta. He is born in Ubud and lives there today with his whole family, his wife and their son.
Wayan Lisih is without doubt not the man who likes to sit still. Other than being a farmer of rice, pigs and ducks he's part time volunteering at a local school, teaching both English and Art to children. He enjoy speaking english, and is always working to improve his skill. On his spare time he loves to paint. Traditional Balinese culture, dance and religion is the consistent theme of his art. Also, very important for Wayan Lisih is to use traditional methods when painting, like using only hand-made bamboo brushes and frames.
As Wayan Lisih kept painted, he one day did not have enough space for his art. So he decided to open up a gallery. His wife's family was able to rent him a part of their house and he worked hard turning it into a nice gallery, painting and installning big glass windows and so on. Unfortunately MAHA Art Studio is located pretty far from the center of Ubud (about 30 minutes walk from Ubud market). But with the help of local taxi drivers it's easy to get there!

Wayan Lisih would be most happy to have you as a guest, if not as a purchaser then as a visitor who would like to sit down, drink tea and discuss the world!

Wayan Lisih uses, like his ancestors, hand-made bamboo brushes. This to follow the example of traditional Balinese art. Down here is pictures of how he creates them:

Thin and dried bamboo-sticks taken from his own garden.

He then uses a board and hammer and hits the end of the stick to soften the wood.

Hammer in action.

Using a knife to improve and make more bristles.

A finished brush. Wayan Lisih uses about one brush per painting. But
this of course depends on the size.

Wayan Lisih's father is a wood carving artist and he is the one who creates the frames for the paintings. If you want, you have the unique possibility to custom order your own design on the frame for the painting you're interested in. Down here is a few examples of differens designs. Everything you see is 100% hand-made art!