NIHAL SENARATNE

I venture into art happened late in life, Having survived a plethora of trials and tribulations growing up, I discovered my true calling when I attended an art therapy sessions. My triumphs at this art form have come into fruition and I am looking forward to hosting my works on canvas and recycled paper. Here, I found that painting is a great source of relief for many questions in life. I also noticed that I am filled with a vivid imagination. Learning to explore this imagination has contributed to my style of art, my drawing abilities seem to have developed in natural progression giving me the ability to freely use a number of distinct styles and approaches. Mostly, I am a self-taught. I had the opportunity to attend Anoma Wijewardhana’s art classes for a few months and learn the basics. This was my foundation to art and it started in me; an intense urge to paint and draw. I like line drawings, calligraphy and abstract art but, I experiment with all styles of painting. I go for what makes me happy influenced by the mood and situation. I like mixing mediums a lot. It can be water colour with ink, with acrylic with something I discovered recently. I will use whatever I can find to express my inner feelings. As an example, sometimes I use beeswax for my paintings which creates very interesting textures and effects. I try to showcase the beauty of life and sometimes with a comical undertone. It stems from my imaginations and delusions. I start by digging into the personality or situation of a subject. In my mind I try to explore lesser noticed aspects of the subject and bring this to life. I am also inspired by the eroticism and use of mixed media by Gustav Klimt and the vibrant idiosyncratic style of Niki de Saint Phalle. Also, the world is open for everyone through the internet and we can see the other artists’ work from Europe to Asia and I learnt a lot of things from Chinese calligraphy and Indian folk arts.