Marilyn is one to provide such an experience. With a great taste for the exceptional, she purely enjoys the find of beautiful things, at times unusual, intriguing or simply of good quality, and is much pleased to share her finds with anyone willing to take the time and enjoy the discovery. From jewellery maker to fashion designer, food artisans to talented craft men, be their domain wood and furniture, glassware, ceramic or basketry. Local talents or renowned international designers, she knows them all and will take you on a tour planned around your own personal interest and curiosity. Mine was not so much for a particular craft or item, though I do have a weakness for textiles, but more so to discover the artisans established on the south east side of Bali, an area for which I have little knowledge, though always enjoyed. Surely such beautiful and serene land would be host to something wonderful. And so it is. From the sleek and impressive show room in Sanur of an Italian master and its impeccably designed and conceived furniture, off we went to a unicef award wining natural beeswax candle factory. Coffee and cakes were later served at a colourful and family run decorative tile factory, each produced individually using an age old technique, and natural quality pigments from Holland. A further drive through the beautiful valley of Sidemen got us to something she had thought of just for me, a cottage weaving factory, where each textile is created intricately with expertise on traditional tables.
A late lunch was served at the foot of Mt Agung, under a canopy of frangipani trees, amongst a valley of cascading rice paddies and a magnificent view extending all the way to the sea. Conversations were many and time went by unnoticed, allowing only for one last stop at a traditional basket weavers on our way back, leaving for another time the blown glass factory and a couple more places she had in mind to surprise me with..... well maybe my next day will be ceramic and glass.... and why not original tribal art and the contemporary jewels it has inspired for the next after that!
For personally tailored shopping day tour, contact Marilyn Forse at the following address:
maforse@hotmail.com
- Posted by Stephanie Robert
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