Ni Putu Suriati

Putu has struggled against heavy odds to become a painter. Born into a very poor family, in Payogan, Kedewatan, Ubud, she was struck with polio at the age of two years old, and lost the use of her legs. A year later her father died, causing even more hardship for her family. Putu had no school education, other than what she could pick up from the other children when they came home from school. However, she has a thirst for learning, and has not only learned to read and write for herself, but she begged an artistic uncle to teach her to paint.

Putu's work is in some famous collections in Indonesia. She has a fairy-tale like simplicity of theme, and is now developing her own palette with lovely soft and sweet colours.. She has a very pleasing delicacy of line and tone, and a strong imagination/memory for life outside the home.

'I love painting so that, although my disability made schooling impossible for me, I can live from my work. I have painted since the age of 7, and learnt from my uncle who was also a painter'. 

The Senang Hati Foundation, also known as Yayasan Senang Hati, is a non-profit organization in Bali that assists people living with disabilities. The name Senang Hati loosely translates as 'Happy Hearts' in Indonesian. The foundation creates programmes to develop self-confidence, physical and economic independence, and increase awareness in the general community of the rights of people with disabilities. Senang Hati accomplishes this through the assistance of volunteers, who provide skills training and social interaction. The society also provides wheelchairs and housing, and runs Senang Hati Places, a home for disabled children.

After contracting polio at a young age, Putu Suriati, the founder of the Senang Hati Foundation, lost the use of her legs. While house-bound, Suriati was taught to paint by her uncle, and she was able to make a living selling her works to tourists–until the mid-1980s, when competition made painting unprofitable for Suriati. Things changed in 1989, when she was given a wheelchair by Judy Slatum. The wheelchair gave her increased mobility, allowing her to leave her parents' house, and giving her the opportunity to join with other female painters in Bali to form the Seniwati Gallery.

In 2000 Suriati held an exhibition of her work at the Bali Beach Hotel. At this exhibition Suriati met a number of other people with disabilities, and this led to the development of an informal network with others suffering from disabilities, which encompassed visits, activities, and excursions. With Vern Cork's arrival, (an Australian who was similarly a wheelchair user), the program was expanded, and grew to the point where they contacted the Bali Hati Foundation for assistance.

With the help of the Bali Hati Foundation, the Senang Hati Foundation was established through a notary as a non-profit organization. In 2003, the foundation moved into a vacant school through a five-year lease donated by American businessman Glen Adams.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senang_Hati_Foundation