Leaf it to Baker

New Sunday Times: Kuala Lumpur — 25 July, 2004

BRAZILIAN artist Jurema Baker is so in love with our tropical jungle flora that she's decided to stay, writes SOFIANNI SUBKI. Pictures By MAZLAN MOHAMAD.

NESTLED IN THE HILLTOPS OF UKAY HEIGHTS IN Kuala Lumpur, is an apartment cum studio filled with artwork that celebrates the beauty of tropical flora. Palm fronds, different parts of the coconut tree, bamboo and a variety of leaves have been fashioned into lacquered trays, bowls, candle stands and other household ornaments.

One would naturally assume that the creator of such pieces is Malaysian; a nature lover who has a passion for what the local forests have to offer.

While there's no denying that the artist indeed has a fascination with what she calls "jungle products", Jurema W. Baker is a Brazilian national of Polish descent.

"I work with fronds of different palm species," she says. "Some are easily flattened into trays while others have natural curves that make pretty bowls." She's also transformed durian skin and mangosteen into striking decorative items.

Baker, 51, first came to Kuala Lumpur in 1978 when her husband was posted here. In her early 20s then, she worked in antique restoration, specialising in Oriental lacquer ware and furniture.
"I would go to Malacca and buy pieces of old furniture," she says. "Once I was done restoring them, they would be put in exhibitions."

After two years, she and her family left for a new posting in Cairo. She returned to KL in 1982 and stayed for eight years before moving to Jakarta. In 2000, she came back with plans to settle here for good.

"Malaysia is a tropical paradise - this is where I started as an artist - and my two daughters grew up here," she says. "So it has a special place in my heart.

"I can't believe the progress this country has made over the years in the economy and technology. I was flabbergasted to see the changes in KL's skyline when I came back four years ago."

Now that she has decided to be here permanently, future projects include experimenting with new plants and making furniture from treated leaves.

Leaf furniture? "It's a work in progress," she says. "Much of my art is produced through trial and error."

"My aim is to work with the government," she explains. "After all, my art is 100 per cent local; they are products that Malaysians can be proud of."

She hopes to do this by conducting workshops that will allow her to pass on her lacquering techniques to those who are interested.

Exhibitions are also in the pipeline as they will expose more Malaysians to her art. At the moment, she is mostly known among the expatriates. However, she does have very good Malaysian clients who often buy her pieces.

Her speciality lies in the high quality of the finishing, which makes her art unique and durable. "It's my trademark because people clearly recognise me for this," she says. Baker studied art at the University of London, where she did a Master's degree in Islamic and Oriental Art.
Growing up, she lived in a house that was built on a big piece of land in the south of Brazil. Her father, Romualdo Walendowsky, was a great nature lover and would take little Baker for long walks.

"As he pointed out the different trees and flowers, he would marvel at their beauty," she recalls. "He taught that there is beauty in everything that is alive."
It comes as no surprise that Baker herself has a deep appreciation for nature, especially trees. "Whenever I am driving around KL, I am always looking up at the trees," she says with a laugh. "One of these days, I am going to get into trouble."

One of her daughters, Melanie, recently moved to KL to help market Baker's works.
As an artist, she has no fixed daily routine. She is one of the lucky few who does what she feels like doing. There are times when she works non-stop for up to four days at a stretch and at times, does absolutely nothing.

"There are periods when I dedicate all my energy to experimenting with a new leaf or something and just neglect everything else," she says.

Nature, of course, is her source of inspiration. "I love nature and as my background is in Oriental art, it's only logical that my work reflects that combination.

"Malaysia has been good to me," she says. "People here are hospitable and so supportive of my work. I'm home - I have not a single reason to leave," she says contentedly.

For more information, please log on to www.juremacreations.com