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Ketut Widarma

Ketut Widarma Putra was born in Buleleng, West Bali on October 21, 1979. He is proud of his name, for Widarma means "good man." From the time he was a child, he liked Balinese art so much that he decided to attend a handicrafts school in Batubulan.

"I loved going to school because I could learn everything about silver, metals, textiles, wood carving and design," he recalls. "And everything was related to my beloved island."

When he finished his studies, he worked for six months making candleholders. "I liked it a lot. I love creativity, but I thought that this was not my destiny so I quit. Just a few days later, by coincidence, I was offered a job in a silver company and that is how everything started."

He began as an assistant in the quality control department and soon, step by step, he became the manager of that department. After two years, he began creating his own designs. "Thanks to Janet, the owner of the company, I started traveling a lot and visited the U.S., Australia, India and Thailand," Widarma says. "It was great because I could compare the art and jewelry in other countries to our own."

Today Widarma works together with a team of silversmiths who make every single piece by hand with patience and love, and he often trains new people because he likes to teach what he knows.

"In my country, our handicrafts are extraordinary. I am very attached to Balinese culture, and I want to keep it alive as much as I can. The handmade designs are masterpieces and I want to keep this characteristic in my own work. For this reason I also play gamelan and I am learning to perform the Topeng dance. I love it!"

As a consequence, Widarma's designs are distinctively Balinese. He also wants to be modern, thus creating a style where contemporary design and Indonesian art come together. All of his pieces are rigorously handmade with a great patience.

"I am really happy with my life. I have a great job that gives me the opportunity to spread my culture everywhere, and Novica is really helping me," he says.