Hand-Carved and Hand-Painted Teak & Suar Wood Bird Statuette - Warbler

Artisan Organization: Ira S.

Country: Bali & Java

"My name is Ira. I was born in Jambi, Sumatra, in 1973, the youngest of 5 children. My father was a civil servant and my mother was a housewife. I had such a lovely childhood, which I spent in several different cities as my father was posted there. The good thing about moving so often was I had the chance to see the beauty of these places including the variety of their birds and ducks, and others animals which have always amazed me. Unfortunately, the drawback was that it was very difficult to make friends and stay in touch with them. Mind you, back then electronic communication was not as good as it is today. My father's last post was in Jakarta, the busiest city in Indonesia. Although I liked the dynamics of living in this great city, the beauty of nature was so difficult to find. This triggered a deep interest in recreating the presence of nature in my new environment.

"I am very proud of my family background. My father is Javanese and my mother is from the trader tribe, known as the Padang people. The Javanese are very well known for their patience and wisdom, and the Padang people are widely known for their trading skills. I like to see myself possessing a combination of these positive characteristics.

"After finishing my education, I worked for a short period in Jakarta. I then married an academic researcher, who shared my passion for nature. We were so young and had no home of our own and we wished one day we could buy a house with the money we earned ourselves. So, we decided to form a business selling products inspired by nature, created out of our imaginations, and fuelled by our passion. We started very small a few years back with a lot of optimism. Although still small, the business has now made it possible for us to own a house and to employ many artisans around us. Our dream is to get a better life for ourselves and our children, take care of our parents, and help as many people as possible.

"We joined Novica in 2022 with the belief that we can offer something new to the market. Our designs are unique, originating from our imagination and our love of nature." "