When we visited Erlinda’s cousin Tessie in Ubud, Bali, we bought a painting by a friend of hers, Made Sarma, whom we also befriended. The painting depicts Bali’s joyful religious ceremonies.

The day after buying Made’s painting, we visited a museum displaying a painting with a much different take on Bali’s ceremonial life. Its toppling tower suggested a send up rather than a celebration of island culture.

The museum’s painting bursts with energy, while Made’s painting conveys the serenity of the Japanese kimonos he learned to paint in Kyoto. His kimono training reveals itself in his painting’s background of forests, rice terraces, mountains, and clouds—especially the clouds.