A warm smile and boundless enthusiasm light up his face every time his canting (wax pen) gently touches the wooden surface. Meet Supriyanto. Born in Bantul on May 27, 1978, Supri grew up surrounded by the daily rhythms of wooden batik artisans. Back then, his hometown of Krebet Village was already renowned as the heart of the wooden batik. Driven by natural talent and determination, Supri chose to follow his artistic path, later honing his skills at a local fine arts high school (SMSR).

Right after graduation, Supri began working at a workshop owned by a senior artisan, Kemiskidi. On his very first day, he was tasked with sanding and finishing. However, using his background in fine arts, Supri quickly began developing his own signature batik motifs and pattern. After years of learning the ropes and perfecting his craft alongside Kemiskidi, Supri finally took a leap of faith and established his own workshop, named "Batik Linggarjati."

With his wife by his side, Supri started marketing his creations to hotels and showrooms across Yogyakarta. Kemiskidi also continued to support him, often inviting him to join local and national exhibitions. Among his creations. a Ravana vs Ramawijaya Ramayana wooden chessboard set became an instant favorite He also crafts traditional games like dakon (congklak), blending them with his elegant signature batik style to give them an exclusive, premium feel.

Aiming for the global market, Supri saw a major opportunity in 2006 when he joined APIKRI, a Yogyakarta based fair trade organization. This organization allowed him to network, share ideas, and collaborate with fellow artisans. APIKRI also played a vital role in helping him innovate his products and promote them internationally a massive milestone for a micro craftsman at the time.

However, Supri’s journey has not been without its challenge. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and orders dried up in Indonesia, he had to pivot creatively to make ends meet, temporarily closing his workshop to sell coffee from his home. After a brief hiatus, he returned to his true passion in 2022. As pandemic restrictions lifted, orders began pouring in again, and tourist visits to Krebet Village steadily increasing.

Today, Supri faces a different challenge : finding skilled carvers and batik artists to help produce his high end items, such as wooden puppets (wayang) and custom chessboards set, especially during peak seasons. Even so, he remains a firm believer that innovation is the key to resilience. He constantly experiments with new ideas to meet changing market trends. Moving beyond home decor and Christmas ornaments, his latest innovation features hand painted batik motifs on traditional enamel tin mugs, hoping it will become the next big trend.

Through decades of dedication to the art of wooden batik, Supri has successfully put both of his children through Islamic Boarding School (pesantren). More than just a personal success story, his workshop and the training programs he runs with the local community have helped put Krebet Village on the global map.