creative clothing

Sitting in a meditative posture, Buddha is hand-carved from crocodile wood. Balinese artisan Gung Gus creates this sculpture, featuring nature-themed designs that are painted by hand on Buddha's robe.

Seated atop a giant lotus in a pose of prayer, the Hindu god Shiva is depicted in this reverent sculpture from Indonesia. Wayan Rendah creates this sculpture, which he diligently carves by hand from suar wood. A stunning attention to detail marks Shiva's clothing and form.

A florid cloak covers Buddha as he meditates with inspiring spirituality. Perfectly detailed, his sculpted image is the creation of Gung Gus, who combines his passions for carving and painting. Gus carves the great Buddha by hand from noble crocodile wood and brings him to life with a palette of acrylic paints.

This stunning mask of two dancers is created by Nyoman Indrawati Subrata of the Subrata Family. They are costumed in traditional garb for the Janger dance, a popular social dance that originated in the 1920s in Bali. The dance is performed by a group of male dancers, or kecak, and a group of female dancers, or janger. The artisan carves the mask from native suar wood and paints it in colorful detail to carry on the extraordinary art work of her late father, Nyoman Subrata.

Hand-carved in lavish detail, this cempaka wood relief panel from Ketut Sandi depicts the romance of Rama and Sita, as told in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Creating a wonderfully three-dimensional vignette, the artisan carefully executes every nuance of the couples' ornate dress and each leaf on the tree. The artisan chooses to leave the wood unfinished to highlight its beautiful grain.

The Ramayana is an epic poem that plays a very important role in Hindu literature, life and culture. Tens of thousands of verses relate the story of Rama, an incarnation of the Lord Vishnu, and his wife Sita.