Bali exported as many as 750,000 paintings in various types and sizes in the January-September period in 2008 earning some US$ 2.5 million in foreign exchange from the activity, according to a report released by the province’s industry and trade office. The cited figures meant the province’s fine arts business had grown by 62 percent compared to a corresponding period in 2007 when it earned only US$ 1.5 million from painting exports.

With the gain, it was expected local artists, young ones in particular, would be motivated to improve their creative works and increase their welfare at the same time.

Made Sunarta, a young painter from Ubud, said he hoped Bali’s security conditions would remain good and stable so that local and foreign collectors would feel safe to come to Bali to hunt paintings. He said Bali’s artist community now realized the vital importance of good security conditions because they were also severely affected by the downturn in tourist arrivals following the terror bomb attacks on their island a few years ago.

Bali artists now welcomed the increasing number of visiting tourists that was expected to have a positive effect on the sale of various art works including paintings, he said.