Vol.3 “Children Meet a Japanese Artist — A Look Back at the NEW DAWN Art Workshop”

Leading the workshops was Daisuke Ishizuka, the Japanese manga artist behind the NEW DAWN project.

Unlike the live painting sessions and exhibition, these workshops created a more personal experience — a chance for the artist and participants to sit together, exchange ideas, and create something side by side.

The painting classes welcomed not only hotel guests, but also local residents and visitors from outside the hotel who wanted to take part in this unique creative experience.

At first, some of the children looked a little nervous as they stood in front of their blank canvases.

But as soon as they picked up their brushes and began putting paint onto the canvas, their expressions slowly began to change.

The initial question of “What should I paint?” gradually became a feeling of “This is what I want to try.”

As Ishizuka moved from one canvas to another, he encouraged each child to embrace their own ideas and imagination. Rather than showing them what to draw, he focused on giving them the freedom to discover their own way of expressing themselves.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the finished artworks was that there was no single “right answer.”

Some children boldly layered vivid colors across the canvas. Others filled their work with delicate lines and intricate details. Some began carefully, only to end up moving their brushes freely across almost the entire canvas.

Although everyone worked in the same space and used the same paints, each child created something completely different.

Watching them work was a wonderful reminder that art is not simply about drawing well. It is about giving shape to what you feel, what you imagine, and what you want to express in your own unique way.

Another memorable part of the painting classes was seeing so many families participate together.

Parents watched proudly as their children painted, while some picked up a brush themselves and joined their children in creating a single canvas together.

For these families, their time at the hotel became more than simply a stay. It became an opportunity to experience art together — not just by looking at it, but by becoming part of the creative process.

We hope these moments became special memories that they will carry with them long after their journey in Bali has ended.

From live painting to the exhibition, and then to the painting classes, NEW DAWN has continued to explore different ways of experiencing art.

Rather than simply “seeing” a finished artwork, guests were invited to experience the entire creative journey: watching an artwork come to life, discovering the completed pieces, and finally picking up a brush and creating something themselves.

A guest might first watch the artist painting and become curious about his work. Later, they could encounter the finished artwork in the exhibition, and eventually find themselves holding a brush and creating their own piece.

Seeing this natural connection between one experience and the next has been one of the most rewarding outcomes of the NEW DAWN project.

A hotel is a place where people from all over the world come together.

People of different nationalities, ages, and cultural backgrounds can stand in the same space, look at the same artwork, and move their brushes across the same canvas.

Even when we speak different languages, art gives us a way to share the same moment.

Through NEW DAWN, we were reminded once again of the unique power of art to connect people beyond words.

With the four-day painting program now complete, the story of NEW DAWN continues to move forward.

Artworks born in the hotel lobby. Finished pieces displayed in the restaurant for guests to discover. And new creations brought to life by children and families with their own hands.

As these artworks and experiences came together, they created something new within the hotel — memories shared between artists, guests, families, and our team.

Our hope is that art can make a stay at Watermark feel just a little more special. And that the artwork encountered during a journey in Bali can remain as a lasting memory long after the journey home.