Glass painter Sulasno: A man of many talents

By Israr Ardiansyah

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Sulasno's physical features have not changed much since he was a poor bricklayer. He is less than 160 centimeters tall, muscular, his long hair tied back. He loves wearing colorful shirts and usually has a smile on his face.

The most noticeable physical change is the color of his skin. When he was a bricklayer 15 years ago, his skin was dark from working under the scorching sun. Now that he works indoors, his skin is a bit fairer. Sulasno is now an artist. His works were exhibited at the Natour Garuda Hotel here from July 3 to July 10.

"When I began painting, I never imagined I would hold a solo exhibition like this," he said. "All I thought about was how I could sell my work and get money. I started painting because I knew I couldn't be a bricklayer forever."

Sulasno, a 46-year-old Yogyakarta-born elementary school graduate, turned out to be right. He would not have become a successful glass painter if he had not quit his old profession and began painting in 1984.

Some 30 years ago, Sulasno joined a wayang orang (Javanese opera) group. He used to play the role of an evil ogre because of his stern face. And now he can support his family by selling his work.

"I have been painting since childhood. I used to love drawing landscapes and people," he says. "I polished this skill when I made up my face before I performed on stage. I would be happy to see that I could look different with the makeup."

Sulasno did not make up his face with modern cosmetics. He used paint he bought in the hardware store. "I used charcoal to make eyebrows and a mustache," he said.

It would take days to remove all of the paint from his face, meaning he often worked as a bricklayer with fake eyebrows and a mustache.

"It was very funny. The powerful ogre Gatutkaca (a flying knight in the Javanese opera) at night became a construction worker in the morning," he said, laughing.

In 1984, an art collector and dealer, Hendro, asked Sulasno to do some paintings for him. "I saw Pak Hendro had a glass painting he bought for Rp 300,000. I thought I could paint just as well so why not give it a try."

Hendro sold Sulasno's first glass painting for Rp 40,000, giving Sulasno Rp 15,000 of the money. The experience convinced Sulasno that painting was his future.

"I began to realize that a piece of art could make me much more money than the strenuous construction work or the stage."

So in 1984, he began to paint, using Express, a paint usually used for bicycles

"At that time, I didn't have the courage to entirely quit my job as a bricklayer, so I would occasionally take orders to fix floor tiles or repair the sewage system," he said.

When his art gained popularity through his cooperation with Hendro, Sulasno decided to dedicate all of his time to painting. He quit his job as a construction worker, where he earned Rp 1,200 a day, and as a wayang wong actor, which earned him Rp 900 per night. (In 1984, the rupiah was Rp 925 to the US dollar).

Innocent man

Sulasno no longer touches cement, sand or bricks. Neither does he use bike paint, but instead creates his work with high-quality paint.

Sindhunata SJ, the chief editor of BASIS magazine who has been assisting Sulasno organize exhibitions, describes Sulasno as a "brilliant" artist.

"Painting on glass is very difficult. The object faces the other direction. If the artist fails to finish it quickly, the result is a mess. The work requires total concentration," he says.

Although his name is widely recognized, Sulasno sells his work at relatively low prices, ranging between Rp 250,000 (US$38) and Rp 3 million.

A friend of his once joked, "What do you sell, paintings or peanut." Sulasno replied, "I'm afraid my paintings won't sell if they cost too much."

So Sulasno was dumbfounded when he saw his paintings displayed at Natour Garuda Hotel with price tags ranging from between Rp 1 million and Rp 10 million.

Bambang Trisno, the owner of Kayon's Gallery, which sponsored the exhibition, said Sulasno was a great self-taught artist.

"He has changed his style. In the beginning, his works were all decorative but lately he has become an ultra-realist."

Putri China (Chinese Lady, 1991) and Nabi Sulaiman (Prophet Solomon, 1993) differ in style from the later Yesus Menyembuhkan Bartimeus (Jesus Heals Bartimeus) and his reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.

When asked about the characters and symbols from different religions in his work, he says, "I have been a Muslim since I was born. I draw Jesus Christ because I get orders for that theme."

He insists that painting has nothing to do with one's religious beliefs. "I will paint anything I feel like painting."

Sulasno, who concedes he was happy just to have his works exhibited in a large hotel, is described by his friends as a simple-minded man.

Painter Djoko Pekik describes him as an "innocent man". "I think he was right when he (Sulasno) said his paintings were offered at too high a price at the moment."

Bambang Trisno agreed that the works were a bit expensive because they were Sulasno's early creations which had become the property of collectors. "In fact the collectors said they would rather not sell them."

Sulasno lives in his old home in the village of Golo, Umbulharjo subdistrict, just south of Yogyakarta, with his wife and their only child, Lanjar, 7.