Street painter not slowed by handicap

Street painter not slowed by handicap

By Riyadi - 10 pts ML l/c

JAKARTA (JP): Although partially disabled, street painter
Ngatno, alias Atno, harbors dreams of becoming an acclaimed
artist, believing that a man's reach should exceed his grasp.

Those who frequent the Blok M shopping center in South Jakarta
may come across him demonstrating his portrait-drawing skill.

The son of a poor Javanese farmer, his early obsession with
drawing, encouraged by nobody but himself, exempted him from this
common fate.

"My love for drawing blossomed when my whole left side became
disabled," 35-year-old Atno recalled.

When he was 10 he fell while trying to catch a chicken. His
poor parents felt that his condition wasn't serious enough to
warrant a trip to the clinic. But the injury soon worsened and
left him deformed for life.

Because his parents lacked the resources to send him to junior
high school after he completed his elementary education, he chose
to become a painter, hoping to help support his family in the
process.

It was not until 1983 that he finally realized his dream of
building a simple gallery in his hometown of Eramoko, Wonogiri,
Central Java.

The studio turned out to be more a place for routine business
than for creating works of art. There he produced only marketable
drawings, taking as subjects beautiful landscapes, wayang (shadow
puppet) figures as well as portraits.

That same year he participated in a joint exhibition in his
hometown, taking second place in a regency level painting
competition.

He then put his work as a painter on hold to study photography
at the Prof. Dr. Soeharso Rehabilitation Center in Surakarta,
Central Java, in 1986.

After completing his studies there, he returned again to his
hometown to attend to his old gallery, only to discover that many
of his clients had left town and business was slack.

With a heavy heart, he sold or gave away his entire collection
to his friends and journeyed to the capital to try his luck.

"At fist my parents didn't allow me to go. Maybe they were
worried because I have a physical defect. But I stuck to my guns,
and nobody could stop me," he said, reminiscing about the strong
opposition from his family.

Once settled in the capital, Atno concentrated on drawing
portraits and found his photography background helpful.

Yet, at the same time he is no longer able to express his
imagination on canvas because he simply can't afford to.

"If I draw or paint subjects that appeal to me, I'm afraid
I'll just waste money for nothing. People often say that whenever
you fail, you have to keep trying. But I just don't want to beat
a dead horse," he said.

Unexpected

A fine close-up pastel drawing of the late Basuki Abdullah in
his typical black eyeglasses and beret is among the black-and-
white portrait works of his displayed at a shopping arcade just
outside Aldiron Plaza in Blok M.

"I'm trying to imitate the great maestro, who had the ability
to make the models of his painting out to be more beautiful than
they really were," he stated.

He recalled how he became even more dedicated to making a
living from art when maestro Basuki told him to work harder to
nourish his talent in order to achieve his goals.

The unexpected encounter with Basuki occurred in 1992 when he
joined a mask painting competition at Pasar Raya Blok M, in which
he came in third.

It was but one of his many achievements during his time in
Jakarta. He also was awarded third prize in the female leg-
painting competition at Hotel Indonesia in 1993. And also that
year he took third in the heroes painting on a seven-kilometer-
long canvas at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

He also has vast experience in drawing noted national figures,
such as former National Police Chief Gen. M. Sanusi, artist Mieke
Wijaya and a number of models.

What exited him most was when he teamed up with other painters
at Ancol dreamland, North Jakarta, an event which earned him
widespread public acclaim.

"When your work is appreciated by other people, you feel
elated," he beamed.

He admitted to being able to finish one portrait of any size
within two to three days. At that rate, he could finish at most
three paintings a week. Despite the hard work, he is happy to
complete the pictures.

The prices of his drawings vary according to color and size. A
30 by 40-centimeter black-and-white portrait sells for Rp 50,000
(US$23.80), while if done in pastel the price rises to Rp 70,000,
and in oil Rp 125,000.

He declined to reveal his monthly income, but said three
orders a week represents a windfall for him because there are
weeks when he does not receive any at all.

Through thick and thin, he always manages to put aside a
portion of his income toward his ultimate dream: To build his own
studio.

"I really want to have my own gallery where I can fully
express my feelings and ideas on canvas," Atno said
optimistically.