As a result of our 6-day visit to Borobudur Kartika completed 3 paintings, all portraying the 9th c Buddhist monument among lotus flowers, which is how she imagines it. We found out later that scholars believe that Borobudur was originally surrounded by ponds that would have supported lotus flowers, so perhaps Kartika has imagined Borobudur not only as it might be but as it once was.

She also interpreted the massive stone structure as shaped rather like a reclining woman's breast with its nipple pointed at the sky, which she told me she did not do purposely, but which I see as in keeping with her way of interpreting the world, which tends to emphasise the feminine, motherly, nurturing aspect of reality.

While she was working a passing woman's handbag caught her eye, and Kartika offered to decorate it, which of course delighted the bag's owner.

A constant stream of families out for an outing at Borobudur paused to watch Kartika paint, and sometimes tired children would rest in her unoccupied wheelchair when Kartika moved to sit on the ground to reach the bottom part of the canvas.

At one point Kartika tried out the idea of including a self-portrait in one of the Borobudur paintings, but she was not satisfied with it saying "it does not work" and in the finished painting (shown in the photo below) it is covered by flowers.

She intends to exhibit the paintings at a show at Cemara Gallery in Jakarta for her 81st birthday on 27 November 15, along with a number of her other new works. She also said she feels like she still has something more to express about Borobudur, so she plans to return there next week to paint more.