[ Suspenseful music plays ] -My name is Sean Diediker and I'm a painter.
♪ I've always designed my paintings based on travel and chance.
I love exploring the human condition as I look to find beauty in true, unscripted reality and then documenting that experience with paint.
♪ [ Animal calls ] ♪ [ Owl hoots ] I love merging the craft of Old World masters with modern-day media to create and share unique windows into humanity.
♪ Join me as I canvas the world to explore the interplay between art and the human condition.
Every episode a place, every episode a painting.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Stepping off the plane in Bali is like stepping into the golden age of creation.
Its dedication to religion, artistry, and the simple life will take your sensibilities to a place they've never been.
♪ And just when you think you're getting pretty good at your own craft, the Balinese have been doing it better for 1,000 years.
♪ [ Dog barks ] ♪ [ Indistinct conversations in native language ] ♪ While attending a back-street gallery opening, I met three artists that all happen to be brothers.
I'm Sean.
Nice to meet you.
And all three happen to have glass bone syndrome.
♪ I was invited to their studio at the Yayasan Foundation to see some of their paintings, meet some of their friends, and discuss what it's like to be an artist living in Bali.
♪ We met at a gallery opening of Diana's not too long ago.
-Yeah.
-It was a great little opening, and tell me your names again.
It was -- -I'm Yeoman.
-Yeoman?
-Yes.
-Yeoman.
-Yeoman.
-Yeoman, and -- -My name is Wayan.
-Wayan?
-Yes.
-And -- -My name is Ketut Budiarsa.
-Ketut.
-Yes.
-Now, I've noticed, having lived in Bali for a while, that the names -- -Yeah.
-So there's a lot of Ketuts, and there's a lot of Wayans.
-Yeah.
-And I thought that was coincidence, but it's not.
Explain to me the order in which the names are given.
-The first of the Balinese children, his name is Wayan.
-Okay.
-Number two is Made.
-Made, okay.
-Yes.
Number three is Yeoman.
-Yeoman.
-Number four is Ketut, so I'm number four.
-Okay.
-Number five is back again, Wayan.
-Tell me what you love about Bali.
-Bali is beautiful!
-Well, yes, of course, it is.
-Because this isle is very precious, yeah, and also peace, yeah.
-I've never been to a country where there was more craftsmen in a small place.
It's just everyone builds something and is an artist of some kind and very good at it.
It's quite amazing.
-When I maybe would try to paint, I use right hand.
-Okay.
-But when I try to make a big painting, I can't, so I try to practice my left hand, and now I use left hand.
-So you went from right to left.
-Yeah.
-Ah, okay.
-I got operation to make straight my bones but back again.
-Oh, so you got your bones fixed in your leg, and it was straight for a while?
-Maybe two years.
-Oh.
-And then back again like this, so I put in my paintings the story about why my leg become like before, because my soul may be screaming, "Don't do that," because this is from God.
-It's the way it's supposed to be.
-Yeah, special from God.
-So your paintings are like a journal.
-Yeah, yeah, a journal of my life.
-And so you're same or similar?
-Yes, yes.
♪ -We made our way into the gallery to see how these three brothers translate their human experience onto the canvas, along with some other works done by members of the foundation.
♪ ♪ -That is my painting, but not yet finished, about my dream, about my imagination.
These are Buddhas.
I work with the Buddhas.
"Don't worry about everything in your life, because I always with you."
-This is my painting, and this is a story about me.
When you see my painting, always, I make a zigzag line, because my hand don't have a bone like this, you know?
-So the zigzag is symbolic of your arms, your bones?
-Yes, yes.
-I see.
-This is my special paintings.
This is the story about me.
I believe, I hope in the future my life is bright like this.
This heart in the box means all the story from my heart, my soul, yes.
I would like to give this special painting for the group, and I hope this painting, you can tell all people in America this is from us and our spirit.
-Oh, you're giving me this painting?
-Yes, your group.
-Oh, you're kidding.
-Yes.
-Oh, thank you so much.
That's fantastic.
Oh, I appreciate that.
Thanks, man.
I appreciate that.
Thank you so much.
-Three brothers.
-The three brothers.
-Yes.
-And this part, this is where you're talking about when they fixed your leg.
-Yes, yes, yeah.
-Oh, that's so cool.
-This is my sign at the back.
-That's your sign, your signature.
-Yeah.
-I will hang this in my home.
♪ I'm a cowboy now.
♪ In this spirit of the moment, I felt it appropriate to give them one of my paintings.
He blessed all the images of the painting, too, so the prints -- A trade among artists, if you will.
This is supposed to bring a blessing into your home, as well, so it's my gift to you for allowing me to your space and sharing time with you, so... -Thank you very much.
-Thank you very much.
-While they may appear to be small in stature, their smiles cast a shadow far beyond those of us who have not been betrayed by genetics.
The painting they gave me is a document of their condition weaved together with symbols of optimism and hope.
It is my new favorite painting and will serve as a constant reminder that things that I find to be overwhelming and difficult simply are not.
Oh, yeah.
-This painting.
Thank you.
[ Chuckles ] ♪ -Bali is a dream destination for surfers and beach-goers.
♪ There really is a beach here for everyone... ♪ ...from the black volcanic sand to pristine white sand beaches and everything in between.
♪ ♪ Most beaches have little shacks made out of driftwood, tin siding, and palm leaves.
♪ If your pasty winter skin got a little too much sun, the locals are happy to help you out with a little aloe.
♪ ♪ For me, the one stead that stood a head and shoulders above the rest was Bingin Beach.
♪ ♪ Not only does it have a world-class surf break, but its unique geography has shielded it from becoming full of tourists, trash, and aggressive merchant vipers.
The remote location and incredibly steep, uneven steps make it impossible for large tour buses and travelers with more than a small backpack to get to.
This is a good thing.
♪ After navigating this stairway to heaven, your feet finally hit the sand, and there's nothing left to do but enjoy a cold Bintang and let the surrounding beauty consume you.
♪ My favorite part of Bingin Beach is the dusk... ♪ ...when the local fishermen set up tables just inches away from the surf... ♪ ...and offer to barbecue you the day's catch in old oil drums.
♪ ♪ Pretty much everyone that goes to the beach that day, which is usually no more than about 30 people, they gather together to dine, exchange stories, and generally feel gratitude for finding such a special little corner of the globe.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Northern Bali has world-class snorkeling and scuba diving, including the sunken warship USS Liberty.
I had an opportunity to dive the USS Liberty.
♪ It was the best scuba dive I've ever had.
♪ The shipwreck isn't too deep, so you can still see the full spectrum of colors as you glide along what once was a shiny iron hull.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Divers can explore her hollowed remains and see that her cannons and cabins are now the framework for vast underwater gardens... ♪ ...and a good example of how steely things that seemed so permanent are easily reclaimed.
♪ ♪ ♪ After emerging from the Liberty dive, I felt a much deeper respect and appreciation for time.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ How does the saying go?
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
This philosophy most certainly rings true here in Bali, fathers teaching sons and brothers teaching brothers the fine art of the catch... ♪ ...not for sport but for survival.
♪ I like knowing that I could have witnessed this exact scene 1,000 years ago.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The weather in Bali is quite unpredictable.
There are so many various microclimates between the volcanoes and the sea that the weather forecasts are really useless.
♪ ♪ ♪ Even our fearless driver, Muli, had white knuckles on this one... ♪ ...because he knows sometimes the smaller cars can get washed away when it's this deep.
♪ [ Laughter ] This guy is ambitious on this -- ♪ But the Balinese aren't phased by big rain.
They simply pull out their poncho and carry on.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ In my opinion, if Bali is known for anything, it would be its humble people who work with their hands.
It has more craftsmen per capita than any other place I've seen on the planet.
They are not hobbyists.
This is a way of life.
The quality of handmade goods exported from this little island is world-class.
-I'm just helping my wife.
My wife, normally, she teaching, like, a design, teaching of the weaving, but I'm new about textile.
My main profession, I'm art.
I am painter.
♪ ♪ ♪ -And as someone who also makes a living building things with my hands, I can fully appreciate the skill and dedication required.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Indonesia is the third-largest producer of rice in the world.
Rice was being grown in these complex terraced irrigation systems as early as the 9th century, according to Bali's earliest written records.
♪ ♪ This island seems to be a Mecca for spiritual tourism, but I found that no healer, shaman, or yoga class will ever bring you closer to the spiritual connection that man has with the earth more than these simple blades of green.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Many of the Balinese cultural and religious ceremonies stemmed from the planting and harvesting of these fields.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ For me, if I had to choose the best imagery that represented Bali, it would be that of the solitary worker.
Whether in the rice fields or on the loom, hammering away in the studio or on the sea, these humble silhouettes were feeding their families in the purest way centuries before the first resort.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -"Canvasing the World" fine art reproductions, printed on pearl linen and museum-quality cotton rag, are now available.
♪ To order your own fine art reproduction of Rice Field Workers or any editions from the "Canvasing the World" television series, please visit ctwgallery.com.
♪ If you'd like more information on the series or a peek at what's currently on Sean's canvas, you can follow "Canvasing the World" on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, or visit us at canvasingtheworld.tv.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -When we filmed in Bali, we took a road trip to the rice fields.
At some point, we're in the rice fields, and the clouds start coming down and almost create this ceiling.
And so here we're filming, and you have this beautiful green imagery and all of the layers of the rice fields, and it created this fantastic visual.
The layers of light through the rice fields to the mountains in the background and then the layer of clouds made for an exceptional visual and exceptional experience.
Some of my favorite shots from the Bali episode were from that excursion.
-I spent a lot of time in Bali while we were filming there, and I went to a gallery opening, and I was introduced to these three brothers, not knowing that that would be one of our primary stories for the Bali episode.
These guys were amazing.
Their eternal optimism in the face of everything was something that was very inspiring to me, and the fact that we exchanged artwork -- Oh, that's so cool.
-Thank you.
-I still have their painting on my studio wall.
It's one of my favorite possessions.
And, yeah, there's something about these guys that have been cursed with this genetic affliction, but they're all smiles all day, every day.
-Bali is beautiful!
-Well, yes it is.
-A word on hospitality -- When you travel to different countries, everyone has different customs.
As a guest in the home of some of these families, they invite us in, and they prepare a nice meal for us, showing their culture.
And one particular lovely family that had us to dinner -- Everything was delicious and beautiful.
And they brought out this one particular dish and reach in there.
We have a bite, and then we kind of notice.
We look at it.
Oh, there's little faces on these, little open-mouth, screaming snake faces.
They were just fried snakes.
That was probably one of the most interesting things I ever ate.
And what do you do, you know?
Someone's opened up their home, and they're saying, "Enjoy," so you just keep eating, you know?
It's kind of like in "Indiana Jones," you know, chilled monkey brains.
Well, we have to eat fried snakes.
Keep eating them, put a smile on your face.
♪ ♪
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