Painter Buana tells of gold mine waiting to be explored

By MALIKAI BALANDU
AFTER his poultry project collapsed, agriculture graduate Buana Bauo, 67, turned to painting to earn a living.
“Everything was going down. I had no job. No way to earn an income. I was on the street selling betel nut and mustard which I plant. I was getting old and the passion I used to have in agriculture to grow things, make gardens was slowly dying out. It became harder to do more physical stuff. So I thought: Why can’t I sell my paintings to earn something? I always draw, sketch with a pencil, and paint. Why not start painting and earn something from it?”
He sells his paintings for between K250 and K500. On “good” days, he can earn up K2,000 from his sale.
Buana is from Omaura village in Kainantu, Eastern Highlands. He graduated from the Sepik Agriculture College in 1984 and worked for a company involved in the poultry business in Lae for 19 years.
When he retired in 2009, he bought a piece of land in Markham and started a poultry farm, becoming a sub-contractor to the company he had worked for.
But he faced financial difficulties in 2018 and 2019.
“All the things I planned after retirement did not go as planned. I was losing money in my poultry business and then some other problems arose.”
Buana sold the piece of land and went to live with relatives, selling items in the informal market to survive.
Then he remembered his love for art when he was young.
“I remembered holding a pencil as a boy in the village and doing drawing and sketching. I did not venture into drawing as a career and chose agriculture instead.”
In 2019, he seriously took up painting and started selling his work in Lae.
“I started painting again but this time I did it for money. I wanted to sell my paintings which have interesting stories to tell. I painted all kinds of culture-related stuff, telling a specific story in the painting. That is art.
“I complete up to five paintings a week. I bought my painting material from Theodist Stationery and my canvas from second-hand clothes shops. It takes about two nights to complete a painting.”
He paints mostly at night because it is quiet and allows him to concentrate on his work. He sells the paintings for between K250 and K500.
“On good days, I make between K1,500 and K2,000. But sometimes, I sit and wait for customers. I change selling points in the city to expose my work to as many people as possible.
“The cost of paintings are negotiable as people want to bargain for a good price. But at least I make money at the end of the day.”
He hopes the Government will support the arts and crafts industry.
“Young talents are coming up. Creative art is wonderful, telling stories in colourful ways. So the Government should create an art gallery in Morobe to promote the arts and crafts industry for artists and painters.”
Buana reckons it is a gold mine waiting to be explored.

“ I started painting again but this time I did it for money. I wanted sell my paintings which must have interesting stories to tell. I painted all kinds of culture-related stuff, telling a specific story in the painting. That is art.”