Colours Transcending

 My exhibition “Colours Transcending,”  will be held at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery on October  27 th and 29 th. ( The Gallery is closed on October 28 th Poya.)

I have been painting for about 30 years now, and although I have participated in collective exhibitions before, this will be the first time I am showcasing a collection of just my work.  During the last few years, with Covid forcing us to spend more time indoors in our own company, I have created prodigiously and now the walls of my home are covered with my paintings. My friends convinced me to have the exhibition as they felt that others would also enjoy them. 

As a child, my mother encouraged me to explore my interest in art, and I even did Art for my O/L’s  although I didn’t pursue it seriously beyond that. My mother, Adeline Gooneratne, used to make beautiful batik designs herself and these influenced me in different ways – encouraging me to experiment with colour, design and style, over the years.

As I admired the work  of artist  Michael (Mike) Anthonisz, he suggested I attend art classes with Dora Aluwihare, a Croatian artist in 1992, and I exhibited with her class for the first time. These classes opened my mind upto different global influences.

Thereafter, in order to explore the more traditional local styles and the art of water colour, I learnt these skills from Jayasiri Semage.

When I moved to the UK and resided there for 10 years, while my children were   at University, I attended art classes at St Martins  whenever I could whilst balancing working a full-time job. These weekend and evening classes, exposed me to various artists and their styles and I developed a liking for abstract art, which eventually led to exploring my current method of fluid art.

I have always been an avid gardener and take pride in my garden. Whenever I got a chance I used to paint foliage that I saw. Most of my paintings are centered on trees or influenced by a botanical scene or peculiarity.  This is probably why my garden is so full of begonias because of their variety or shades and patterns. 

My earlier paintings used to focus very much on the detail of a plant or image, but even with the abstract paintings I am drawn to connecting it to a natural scene is some way or another. My children have supplied me with material, as well, through their personal interest in marine animals and dance.

I got interested in fluid paintings as it has an element of unpredictability. This is an art where one does not use brushes other than to enhance the final painting. While I was in the UK, I went for a few classes and was fascinated by the methods used. I watched demonstrations on YouTube and got new ideas. Unfortunately, most of the paint needed for this particular method cannot be found in Sri Lanka, so I have to ship paint from the UK which is a costly process. Sometimes my friends bring me some materials when they travel from overseas.

A friend who was visiting from the US was giving a donation to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, so I drove her there and as  she was going to promote the project when she returned to the USA. The doctor in charge sent us on a tour of the place. Seeing the needs of the babies and their mothers and the inspiring work that the hospital does, I wanted to help and thought that contributing financially through the sale of my paintings would be one way I could do this.

My mother has always inspired and encouraged me. She was an artistic soul and ensured that her children had a rounded education and developed an appreciation for the arts. Her exquisite needlework even inspired me to spend some time creating cross-stitch art at one point, which is a painstaking process.

Travelling has also been a very inspirational experience for me – getting to see the exquisite art from historical architecture, foreign cultures and even just breath-taking natural scenes has always inspired me to find my own way to pay tribute to the beauty the world has to offer.

For me, art is a form of relaxation and expression, so I will continue with creating what comes to mind and exploring the different forms of expression which are out there.