Stop: Gallery Komunitas Lukis Hegarmanah, Bandung. Google. OSM. (Day 51)

I was looking for the Cikapundung Antique Market, which I was having trouble finding because I did not realize it was on the third floor of a building that housed a plumbing market on the ground floor, and an electrical supply market on the second floor. (I did eventually find the antique market. In a fit of personal responsibility, I bought absolutely nothing, even though I could have bought absolutely everything.)

As I was circling the neighborhood, wandering around, just taking in the scene: two kids playing football in the street with their mom, cats sleeping in the sun, motorcycle repairs ongoing, I spotted some stencil art on a wall. There was more inside the gate. It looked like just the driveway and forecourt of a residential house. I stepped in and got ready to apologize. But, a young woman came out and asked if I was there for the art gallery. It doesn’t open until 10, but if I come back I can look around. They just had an exhibition over the weekend.

I did come back for the exhibition which was pretty cool, but the main event was this ping-pong table covered in plastic in the main room. Tuesdays are drop-in watercolor workshop days! They asked me to join them and offered me supplies, but I had my stuff in my bag, so I was all set. People just came and went. Some did watercolors. One guy just chatted at me the whole time and was doing Chinese calligraphy in a notebook with ballpoint pen. A little girl and her mom and grandma joined.

Turns out the guy who asked me to sit down is quite an accomplished creator in several media. He was working on a watercolor of a street scene from Semarang which was very good. But, Toni Marsdiono works in ink, comics, and whatever he wants to. He used to teach at ITB, but let that go. He said he likes just doing his own thing at the community gallery. He was super nice and welcoming. Everyone was.

Here is Ong Kwang Yang with his recent bandungsketchwalk of the Post Office Museum. It is an amazing building. I went to visit it twice.

His work is very good, but he really encouraged me.

Lie Yoeng was one who worked quietly, but we got to talking after lunch and we both needed a break. Here she is posing with one of her acrylics from the exhibition. Little did I know I would be standing in the exact spot she painted this from! I didn’t even realize it until I revisited the photos.

So, here is one I did from a photo, so not really urban sketching, but as hartantoyoyo and Toni kept saying, “Good training. Good training.”

Again, perspective is much easier from a phone screen. But, this version of SMP Negeri 1 Jakarta (Number 1 Jakarta Government Junior High School) near Cikini Station came out kind of OK. Trying to simplify and block some shapes together. Shadows aren’t quite right, but, getting there. Less literal with the color. The actual scene has the green walls and the reddish roofs, but then the trees are also dark green, and the concrete yard is gray green. The high rises were gray, but so was the low rise to the left. A sea of green and gray was not going to work. The building on the left had some orange trim, so just grabbed that instead of yet another block of gray. Also, a green drop where chatty calligraphy guy interrupted me!

I spent about three hours there. We sent out for noodles and all had lunch. A woman from the neighborhood stopped by with some sweets. She just likes to hang out. People just came and went. Worked or didn’t. Watched other people work. It was great. Just do your own thing, but with others. Perfect. Getting lost was one of the best days of the trip so far.