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Bali Center for Artistic Creativity offers workshops, seminars and instruction to individuals and groups interested in discovering developing or extending their artistic creative talents and skills.

A very wide range of people take classes or courses at BCAC, from the actress Julia Roberts and family – Julia was in Bali filming the movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ – to people with backgrounds as varied as teachers, engineers, plumbers and electricians, university professors, psychologists, doctors and dentists and groups of students from all sorts of schools and other educational institutions and of course, retired people.
There are classes and courses for those who consider themselves to have no artistic talent at all, to accomplished artists and art teachers. In addition to acquiring personal skills and confidence in creating art, the courses lead to a deep and lasting appreciation of the visual and plastic arts and their inestimable value as regards self-development, self-discovery and understanding the place of art in the context of history and culture.
By participating in classes and courses at BCAC you are also sponsoring work done at the center with local orphans and the physically and mentally challenged. We also provide free assistance and instruction to young Balinese artists, encouraging them especially to break away from stereotypical, commercial imagery and discover their inner creativity.

BCAC participants sketching at Talagalalang rice terraces near Ubud

Art in Bali is inseparable from the history, customs, culture, beliefs, superstitions and every day lives of the Balinese. Nestling on the edge of a forest, surrounded by glistening rice fields, Ubud is a delightful and incongruous surprise. A small hill town an hour’s drive from the airport and the hustle and bustle of the busy south, Ubud has some of the sophistication of a large European city or town. There is an abundance of restaurants offering the full spectrum of international as well as Balinese cuisine. Most of these are inexpensive and some are equal to the best restaurants in New York or Paris. Beautiful cultural and spiritual sites abound.

There are four major art museums and dozens of art galleries scattered in and around the town and surrounding villages. Boutiques, internet cafes, traditional spas, and massage centers and one of the most colorful “native” markets in Bali are all within easy walking distance. Traditional Balinese dance and musical performances can be seen nightly at various sites in and around the town.

Some of Ubud’s best museums and galleries:

AGUNG RAI MUSEUM OF ART AGUNG RAI GALLERY KOMANEKA GALLERY SIKA Contemporary art RUDANA MUSEUM OF ARTS Neka Art Museum THE DON ANTONIO BLANCO MUSEUM

Night ceremony in Ubud

The Magic of Bali

But it is the mystery and the magic of Bali, especially Ubud, that is most enchanting. Ubud has always attracted artists; the first European painters having arrived in the 1920s. Artistic inspiration is in the air so to speak. As a visitor to BCAC commented to me recently… “Art seems to be falling from the trees. It’s everywhere!” Ubud is a unique and spiritual place; the perfect environment in which to discover or unlock and explore and develop your creative potential.

BCAC is basically my studio and home where I offer year-round work-shops, seminars and instruction to individuals and groups interested in discovering or unlocking their inner, often hidden creativity, primarily through the visual arts. There are courses that are specially tailored for retired and semi-retired people, many of whom may never have drawn or painted before or not since childhood. There are also courses for more experienced artists and art teachers and programs for groups of students, mainly from international schools throughout the Asia Pacific and the world. Several outstanding colleagues whose expertise includes creative writing, poetry, sculpture, photography, batik, ‘Primal Painting’ and creative book making join me. Balinese culture, history, religion and customs are presented and explained mainly by local Balinese experts. Visits to historic, spiritual and cultural sites are an integral part of many of the programs and courses.