Wai Santy originally from Jakarta moved to Bali in 2007 after a career in the advertising industry. Since taking up drawing and painting 8 years ago, Wai has explored a number of mediums from ink to digital painting. She turned the Creative Room at Rumah Sanur into her space for the Open Studios Program as part of DenPasar2018 with Cush Cush Gallery.
When did you first start drawing and painting?
From childhood, I have been interested in drawing. I took a Visual Design Communications course and worked in advertising for three years in Jakarta then moved to Bali in 2007 where I worked for 8 years as a Head of Product. During that time, I started drawing and for 8 years studied oil painting with a Dutch painter in Sanur.
What do you love to draw?
The things that touch my heart and figurative forms.
What style do you use for your work?
This is the most difficult question for me to answer. Maybe it can be said a mix of styles because it’s my hobby to explore and experiment including the style of my picture from illustration, abstract, pointillism.
What types of material and mediums do you use?
I really like exploring with a lot of mediums from ink, digital painting, water colours, oil to charcoal.
What kinds of themes are you working on right now?
Humanity and honesty. Explaining about myself and how honest you are in public. That’s the concept that I am currently diving into.
Any famous painters that have influenced your work?
There is a British Oil painter who greatly influences my work, his name is Lucian Freud. I love the philosophy and concept of why he works.
Your background is in design, do you still take commissions and work for client-based design?
If I can tell a bit of a story. After I finished my Master’s Degree, I was hired by Disney Jakarta and there I worked as a Creative Manager. I can say that designing was already implemented in my DNA but for the moment and time my main focus is drawing and freelance design.
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