Noticing the unnoticed

Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation Graphic and Animation Unit head Shirani Nanayakkara talks about her creative skills and passion for drawing cartoons 

“Happiness expressed in a person’s face when they observe something gives me complete satisfaction of being an artist,” says Shirani Nanayakkara who is organizing her debut solo art exhibition Dhyana. Shirani is currently working as the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation’s Graphic and Animation Unit head. Tracing the path she took, she said that she joined SLRC in 1983, as a very first member of the Rupahavini Graphic unit leaving her job as an art director at a well-recognized advertising firm. “I took up the job at Rupavahini for half of the salary I was receiving at the advertising company. Television media was novel in the country and I succeeded at being one of the very first people to join,” Shirani recalled how proud she was to accept this challenge eagerly.
Shirani was born in Badullawala, a small beautiful village between Kithulagala and Yatiyanthota. She believes that the aesthetic feelings in her were nurtured by the soothing environment of her childhood. Starting her primary education from Hakbellawaka Primary school she moved into Tholangamu secondary school and then to Ruwanweli Central College for her Advanced Level. Although she showed more skills and talents in drawing, she was selected to study science subjects. However, she managed to attend the art classes of late artist Amaratunge Kahawatta to improve her skills.

She recalled the Graphics and Animation Unit 30 years ago when there were no computer facilities or sophisticated technological equipment. “Everything was hand-drawn, even the name lists presented after teledramas,” she recollected. She explained why a cartoon artist must master skills to express emotions in face of a moving sketch. “Person who has the talent to depict the intended emotions successfully in a moving two dimensional picture can be considered as a successful animator,” she emphasized. “Creativity is the most important element in cartoon then and now. It will be the most important thing in the future as well, that whatever the cartoonist does, the cartoon must be able to grab the attention of its audience,” she said.

Today there are sophisticated tech equipment and advanced computer software to develop cartoon. Shirani grasped the technology fast that she adapted herself to the new trends. “Unlike today, there weren’t many opportunities to study the subject. I was motivated by the thought of creating better cartoon, therefore I studied on my own,” she said. In 2009 she was appreciated with a Rupavahini State Award for the best animation cartoon. The award winning cartoon was Lamayinta Nisi Thena Demu (Give children the right place).

She said that although local animation cartoons are in a developing state and a very high state compared to where it began, overall they lack creativity. She identified that this happens because the talented artists don’t show much enthusiasm to joining the cartoon field. “A graphic artist can’t create a good cartoon if the person is not a skillful artist,” she iterated. “If more artists look forward to put their efforts in making cartoon, future of the cartoon industry will not be bleak,” Shirani iterated.

She also mentioned that local cartoon animations, if well developed, will be more effective in sending a message to the child. “Local productions are more familiar to us that the characters are built upon our own society. It will be more effective in conveying a message of patriotism and building up a sense of appreciating local things in a child,” she pointed out.

Among her drawings, the majority consists of watercolor portraits. She said that this being the main method, she would experiment with any art medium or method in painting.  She enjoys sketching human figures the most, yet among her drawing are exceptional sceneries too.  Her eye gives attention to the isolated persons in crowds, the ones usually go unnoticed in a crowd. Shirani pays attention to their expressions and emotions that she sketches their emotions. All her paintings have a story to tell. “I see a story in everything I see. It’s just that I only have time to draw only a very few selected,” she said.

She mentioned her husband, Susantha Nanayakkara also with much affection. Susantha is a specialist in set designing. “I learned what fine art is after I got married to him. He was my teacher who he taught me to become a professional artist,” she said adding “If not for his help and motivation this art exhibition would not become a reality.”

Dhyana Art Exhibition will be declared open at 4 pm on Friday May 22 at Lionel Wendt Art Gallery. The exhibition will be held on May 23 and 24. “This is a very special event for me and this is the first time I am holding a solo exhibition. I have attempted to collect drawings from a long time. It didn’t work out because my drawings were never good enough for me. Only a carefully selected collection of my paintings will be exhibited at the event,” she said reiterating that personal satisfaction comes first in completing a drawing.

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Blurred brush strokes

Interview with veteran cartoonist Bandula  Harischandra

The main reason Sri Lankan artists, painters or cartoonists don’t get their due place in society is because they don’t stand together, opined veteran artist Bandula Harischandra, one of the pioneer cartoon storytellers in the country, in an interview with The Nation. “It’s a shame as well as a great disadvantage that artistes of our country are reluctant to stand together. If they do, the situation would have been very different,” he added.

Bandula Harischandra was born on May 24, 1940 in Keselwatta, Panadura. He received his early education at Sri Jana Dharmaduta Vidyalaya, Keselwatta. He said that no one, including himself, was aware of the fact that he had a hidden talent for sketching. “At the school art class, I wasn’t considered a good painter until one of my teachers saw a portrait I did,” he recalled. One day in his classroom he drew the portrait of his school manager, whose picture was hung in the new school building. Harischandra just copied the image he saw during a class, which was not painting, by the way. His subject teacher noticed the distracted boy and checked his notebook to see what kept him so preoccupied. The teacher was surprised by what she saw and immediately took him to the principal, who was highly impressed by the drawing too. “If I didn’t draw the picture of the school manager on that day, I would never have become a professional artist. I would be someone else,” he said adding that this drawing was the turning point of his life. Harischandra was just 12 years old then.

The impressed principal saw potential in this young boy and introduced him to National Arts Front (Jathika Kala Peramuna)Treasurer HBP Jayawardane. The official was an eminent art teacher as well as a painter and a highly skilled sculptor. “My friend Lionel was also a talented sculptor. Both of us were given a letter to go and meet Jayawardane Master. We didn’t know what waited us, but anyway we followed the principals’ orders,” Harischandra recalled. Under, the guidance of Jayawardane Master both Bandula and Lionel studied drawing, painting, pottery painting and sculpture.

“He helped me immensely to hone my skills. He was happy about my work and eventually offered me a class to teach, which I was very happy to take up,” Harischandra reminisced. He also mentioned how he held a successful art exhibition with his friend Lionel.

Day by day the number of students grew and eventually it was proposed that they move the class to Panadura Town, to a more spacious location. They moved the class to a building near the Panadura Hospital and formed the art institute, ‘Panadura Lalitha Kalayathanaya’, in 1959. “Music classes were conducted by Mudunkotuwa Master and dance classes by Ms. Miranda Hemalatha. It was a successful institute,” he said. Later, another art teacher joined him to conduct classes as the number of students was too much for him to handle by himself. This turned out to be Henry Tennakoon, who was the creator of Samaja Samayang, the famed cartoon strip published in Lankadeepa.

Tennakoon encouraged Harischandra to draw cartoon strips and coaxed him into joining Lake House. He introduced Harischandra to MA de Silva, then Dinamina Editor. This meeting resulted in Harischandra joining Lake House to do a series of picture stories based on Jathaka Stories. Later the stories he drew for Dinamina, Silumina, Navayugaya and Sathuta became extremely popular among the readers. So far he has created over 170 local and foreign picture story books including 12 stories created on his own. Bandula became the first artist to do picture stories in color. His story Nala Damayanthie published in Silumina is considered to be the first color printed cartoon story.

Among his most popular picture stories are Nala Damayanthie, Rahas Hasna, Sinbad, Helen, Thani Tharuwa, Veediya Bandara, Dewasmitha, Pandukabaya and Sinhala Deshaya. Later he followed a two-year course in painting at the Sri Lanka Jathika Kalayathanaya (Hewood) and obtained an Advanced Diploma in Art. He has submitted many articles to various newspapers and published a book on art titled Deepa. He has also served as the chief artist and manager for Camillus Publications.

He is also reputed for his paintings for UNESCO posters, leaflets and books. The reputation he earned in creating book covers is also renowned. He has also contributed in creating a number of Sri Lankan stamps. He has worked with the Sri Lanka Philatelic Bureau for over 25 years. Harischandra is also an artist who contributes to painting Vesak lanterns. “I have also completed drawings in Kaluadamulla Viharaya in Ambalangoda and currently completing the drawings of Borella Sri Lankaramaya,” said Harischandra.

He pointed out that there were several reasons behind the downfall of Sri Lankan picture story industry. According to him, contrary to popular belief, emergence of the television is not the main reason. “Once these stories started becoming popular among the readers, people started establishing more picture story papers. Competition was high and some reputed artists kept switching from paper to paper following the highest bid for their work,” he said. Harischandra added that this led to confusions in the readers that they no longer knew which paper to read. “Some stories were halted in the middle; some were continued in other papers. Eventually the readers got frustrated,” he emphasized.

Harischandra expressed his grief saying that the National Art Gallery is abandoned without anyone reaping benefits. “When we were young there were many exhibitions at the Kalabawana. We used to go whenever there was an exhibition. Today it’s literally abandoned,” he lamented. “The art exhibitions currently held there don’t make sense to the ordinary people sometimes,” he said adding that modern art is not something everyone can enjoy at the same level.

“I’m not saying that modern art is hopeless. It is a good form of art. Yet, it fails to speak to the hearts of the local people. Not everyone enjoys a few brush strokes on a canvas,” he iterated. “If they can exhibit local paintings or traditional art once in a while, it would attract a larger audience,” he said.

He also said that enthusiasm for art and painting dropped because of lack of awareness. As he explained, authorities who are supposed to support artistes overlook the painters. “They only concentrate on performing arts like dance, music or acting. Painting is not given its due place. It is as if they don’t consider painting an art form,” he said.

He reiterated that this lack of importance bestowed on artists is a setback in tourism. “Although we don’t have a habit of buying paintings, it can be sold more easily than other forms of arts to foreigners,” Harischandra pointed out. “Yet no one is willing to promote this aspect of art,” he added.

As mentioned before, Harischandra believes that these drawbacks can also be reduced if the artists stood together. He explained that they tried to do just this once by forming the Lanka Kala Sangamaya. Exhibitions held and the programs conducted by this association were highly successful, he said. “Yet unfortunately, the enthusiasm could not be maintained,” he said. “If a program can be formed and maintained for the development of the artists, I believe that it will promote Sri Lankan art and artistes better,” he said.

Pics by Chandana Wijesinghe

Drawing realistic portraits that stun you - Interview with Shamen Walker

From a distance, these images may look like black and white photographs and only a very close look will reveal that these are not photographs, but portraits neatly sketched using pencil. Using no colors, Shamen Walker’s steady hands are capable of preserving the liveliness of the portrait depicting the facial emotions giving priority to the finest details. Shamen, speaking to The Nation, said that giving priority to minute details, from the freckles to pores in a face, is the success behind her portraits. “Detail, detail and detail,” she said. “I always give the first priority to the smallest details and I believe that is the only way to demonstrate the true emotions with every pencil stroke I make.”

Shamen was born in Bandaragama. Although she was blessed with only her mother’s love, she believes that she was fortunate to be in the company of her maternal grandmother during her childhood. She received her school education from Kottawa Dharmapala Vidyalaya and Panadura St. Anthoney’s Girls’ School. After completing her Advanced Level Examinations she flew to Cyprus to follow a degree in Business Management.

As she recalled, although she had harbored an artistic talent since childhood, she only took a keen interest in developing her talent during her adolescent years. “I remember I have been drawing since I was a small girl, but I did not take it seriously until I was 10, that was when I started to get a lot of compliments from my family and friends for my skills in drawing,” she recalled. She also mentioned that the complements and encouragement she received during this period was a great blessing which motivated her to improve herself. “Of course when you are told that you are good at something, it makes you feel special. So you keep doing it until you excel,” she added.

Shamen believes that the loneliness she experienced during her childhood inspired her to be the best she could. She had developed a habit of sketching and drawing to overcome her loneliness. “As I was growing up, I started to draw to overcome my loneliness. It was helping, therefore it became a hobby,” she said. “I solely engaged in drawing for self-satisfaction,” she added.

She also believes that her grandmother’s influence helped immensely in developing her artistic skills. “I was kind of blessed to be born with each foot in different worlds. My grandmother was really good at crafting and sculpting. She had even won awards for her work. I always believed I was gifted with my grandma's talent,” she paid her gratitude to the skills inculcated in her by her grandmother. “I did Art as a subject for my Ordinary Level Examinations. In 2012, I followed a one year Fine Art course at Vibhavi Academy in Kotte.”

Even though Shamen had identified her talents at an early age, she only became a portrait artist in 2012. Yet, she said that she is keen on experimenting with different styles, wildlife and nature being her favorites. “I have been experimenting with different styles like wildlife and nature ever since. I believe it is a good practice. It can only take an artist so far if they want to establish themselves in a niche,” she said. Shamen said that she feels more confident with her work since she started gaining recognition for her portraits. “I've settled for realism and portraits, and for the first time in my artistic endeavors I’ve gained some recognition. As the saying goes, ‘A Jack-of-all-trades is a master of none’,” she iterated.

Shamen said that it takes around three to four days to complete a portrait. “Time spent on completing a drawing depends on the size and the complexity of the drawing,” she stressed. “It usually takes me about 30 minutes to draw a sketch, and if it is a realistic portrait, it can even lead to three or four days,” she said. The most important part of a realistic drawing is the reference photo. The artist needs clear large photos so that fine details can be easily seen and then drawn. Then graphite pencils and smudging tools will be used to recreate the photo on chosen paper.

Shamen has an eagle’s eye to capture human emotion. She believes that it is her practice which is making her drawings livelier. “Apart from the academic guidance I've received, I think my eyes always tend to catch the depth of things. So I tend to draw everything I see, I believe practice makes everything perfect,” she opined.

A portrait she drew of a celebrity brought luck to her career as a portrait artist. Established through Facebook, she started receiving admiration for her work from a surprising number of people that she started her own business of graphite portraits. “My first celebrity portrait was of Samanali Fonseka. She was surprised and praised me for my talent. Then I did Saranga and Umali Disasekara's wedding portrait, Sangakkara and Mahela, Sanath Jayasuriya and Pooja Umashakar,” she spoke about her work. “They all were really shocked when they saw the portraits and greatly admired my work.” Sanath Jayasuriya’s portrait as well as the drawing of the popular picture of Sanga and Mahela during the T-20 Cricket World Cup series can be considered as her best attempts at realistic art.

She pointed out that the market for realistic portraits is elementary which could be developed if it is given serious attention. Therefore, as an amateur in the field she has to face challenges every day. Yet she also said that the number of realistic art enthusiasts cannot be overlooked. “I think the market for realistic portraits is still at a very elementary level in Sri Lanka. Even though, the number of people who understand the true value of a portrait is very limited here, I must say the demand for portraits overseas is very high,” she reiterated.

In general, she said that she could hardly be satisfied with the recognition an artist receives in the county. She also mentioned that the education opportunities for Art students as well as the opportunities an amateur artist receives are not satisfactory. “We only have very few Art Institutes in Sri Lanka. I think there should be more art institutes or schools for art enthusiasts who would love to brush up their inherent talents,” she emphasized. “In my experience, it is very hard to acquire professional art supplies in the local market. I think there should be government funded organizations to encourage young artists to improve their talents. I also think that if parents recognize the artistic talents of their kids, they should encourage them to do what they love to do,” Shamen further said.

In conclusion, Shamen said that she believes that there are no shortcuts for success. Her message for young artists was, “Always believe in yourself and your talent. If you want to excel in something, be honest with yourself and do what you love. Work hard.”

The child in her still lives

Renowned storyteller and artist Sybil Wettasinghe believes that art is the best method of communication

“Next month I will be eighty seven years old. I prefer to be alone. My children are worried that I live upstairs alone. But quietness is something amazing. I admire it and it helps me live in my own world. I’m not worried to be alone at all,” said Sybil Nenda, most beloved aunt of Sri Lankan children.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that many generations grew up with her stories and wonderful illustrations. Although she is in her late 80s and a beloved grandmother, the child in her still allows her to believe in tree nymphs and fairies. “When my grandson was about three years old he owned a red car and he had a habit of leaving it outside after playing. One day, I told him not to leave the car outside, that someone will steel it. He said, ‘No, no Achchi Amma that won’t happen’ and he related a story to me about how the little red car is protected by a nearby mango tree.”

Later she drew this story with illustrations and published a book. She asked her grandson to take the book to his preschool teacher and show her that this is a story which he related. “He returned home with a sad face and I asked why,” she recalled. This is what the child had said.  ‘No Achchi Amma, teacher told me that you are a foolish person. She said that mango trees cannot help little cars’,” Sybil Nenda enacted the dialogue. “What’s the point of learning child psychology if a teacher cannot understand how a kid thinks? For a child every inanimate object is alive. I was able to explain and satisfy my grandson, but this is how a child’s creativity is destroyed when they are young. They should have their time in the fantasy world. Why be in a hurry to introduce him or her to the real world?” Wettasinghe said. “A child must be told stories and he should be given opportunities to create on their own.”

Kalakeerthi Sybil Wettasinghe was born in 1928 and spent the first seven years of her childhood in the village of Ginthota, situated in the suburbs of Galle. Sybil was the second in a family of five. Her family moved to Colombo where she enrolled in Holy Family Convent. Her father was a building contractor. Her mother had been very emphatic that her children get a good education. While her family was in Ginthota she attended Ginthota Buddhist School.

At the age of 17 Wettasinghe joined Lankadeepa newspaper. In 1952, Sybil joined the much-coveted Lake House publications where she became the main illustrator of the Janatha newspaper. Her entry to Lake House gave access to an entire network of newspapers and she wrote and illustrated for the Sunday Observer, Silumina, Daily News and Sarasaviya. In 1955, she married Don Dharmapala Wettasinghe, a former Chief Editor of Lake House Newspapers.

Her living room was mostly decorated with bookshelves, old photographs of her and her family and her paintings. In a corner she sat in a rocking chair, her head on the headrest. Roald Dhal’s books had a special place in her bookshelves that each bookshelf had at least one Roald Dhal book. “Oh, I love Roald Dhal. I read his books like a child and I think I like all his books,” she said. “I recently read one of his books on a day I had fallen sick and I got over my sickness just by reading it. His work is fantastic,” she said adding, “But my favorite books are of Khalil Gibran.” However, her book collection includes many books by many authors from all over the world.

“We were sent to school at the age of three. There weren’t any preschools during this period. I wrote of all my experiences in the book, Child in Me. The original cover for my book was me sitting on my grandmother’s lap,” she said. “A Japanese lady read my book and immediately wanted to translate the story for their children.” Sybil Nenda got up from her rocker to search for the Japanese translation. The cover of the book showed a little girl seated near a bamboo tree. She had redrawn the pictures to suit Japanese culture. “My books are apparently very popular there. This year too, we are working on two books. Usually they don’t work on two books by the same author. But they like my work very much,” she said with obvious satisfaction in her work.

She is currently illustrating Labu Gediye Thovilaya for the Japanese. “They like our rural, folk environment. I was surprised to see their enthusiasm for our environment and literature.” She moved on to her other books. “Hoity the Fox was published over 30 years ago. But still, it’s the number one when it comes to sales. This was translated into Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Norwegian, and Chinese apart from English. It’s a different twist, where three Gama Hamines fool a fox.” Kuda Hora (The Umbrella Thief) which was originally published in 1956 has been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, Korean and Tamil.

During her career, she has won much international acclaim and her children's stories secured awards both in Europe and Asia. In 1965, her story Vesak Lantern won an Isabel Hutton Prize for Asian Women writers for Children. Her first book Kuda Hora was chosen for the Best Foreign Book Award in Japan in 1986. In 1987 it won the Japanese Library Association Award as the most popular children's book.

Wettasinghe, returning to her chair spoke further about Japanese children’s literature. “They promote fantasies in children’s literature. When I was working at Lake House, when I was about 24 years old, I wrote Duwana Rawula (Run Away Beard). When I took it to a publisher, he started scolding me that I write foolish stories,” she laughed. “But then when my book Kuda Hora won the best book award in 1992 in Japan, the Japanese seemed to be thrilled about the way I write. They admired the descriptions of unseen things, where as our people promote realistic stories for children. A child’s imagination will develop only through fantasies, not realities. That is why Hans Christian Anderson’s thousand odd stories are still much loved by children. Sri Lankan people still do not understand this.” She sighed.

She recalled her childhood. “My childhood was storybook perfect. I have written most of the incidents in Weniyan Kalu Weniyan. I simply can’t forget the environment of my village. I was there until I was eight years old. I walked along a footpath in the forest on my way to school. There was a bamboo tree near the school with a white sandy plain. A tributary of Gin Ganga flowed by closely. It was a magical place,” she still remembers every small detail about the place. “I wanted to be there on my own, but that was impossible since no one would let me be there alone. I was just three or four years old. We get to come to this place during the school break, but then the other students were also there. It was not as quiet as I wanted the place to be.” Little Sybil badly wanted to be there alone and fretted herself mapping out a plan.

“Do you know what I did as a child?” she asked. “If a child wants to do something, he or she will definitely find a way. Back then I wore gold gypsy earrings, most of the girls did. I removed one of my earrings and hung it on the bamboo tree and returned to class. My beautiful class teacher noticed that my earring was missing and she came close to me and whispered, ‘one of your earrings are missing. Isn’t it? Would you be a good child and go look for it before others go out for break?’ Like a tortoise put into water, I ran to the sandy plain, put my earring on and sat near the bamboo trees. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of fish swimming in the lake and the birds chirping.” She described the incident as if it happened yesterday, as if the memories are imprinted in her mind. “I believe that this is how I started loving and admiring nature. I still appreciate the environment around me.”

The room which she uses to do her drawing and write her stories has a picturesque view at sunset with tall bushy tress. “I put bananas out of the window next to the table I work.  Squirrels and birds come to eat the bananas and I get to observe them ever so closely. When the Demalichchas (Babblers) come squirrels and other birds go away. They are all scared of Demalichchas. When Demalichchas leave, others slowly come back. I love to be a part of their world.”

“Today, children don’t get to experience nature or whatever natural luxuries I used to have. They leave early for schools, school vans come to their doorstep, then they come back, have lunch and go for tuition. They don’t have time to associate with nature. This is why I wrote about my childhood to let them experience what I experienced back then and to let their mothers know how important it is to let their children associate with nature.” Sybil dedicated the book The Child in Me saying, ‘The love and peace cultivated in my heart as a child, has remained throughout my whole life. With this love I warm-heartedly present, ‘The Child in Me’, to everyone, young and old.’ Yet she said that her old village has also transformed now that there are no women who wear clothes like the women in her books, or men with long hair.

Sybil said that she wasn’t motivated to draw during her school time since the art classes were boring. “In our art class, the teacher puts a king coconut and a glass of water and asked us to sketch it. What child wants to draw a king coconut on a table?” she asked. “I was not interested in it and they thought I was bad at art. I wanted to draw from imagination.”

Sybil believes that art is the best method of communication. She describes it as a universal language which anyone can understand. She gave two of her personal experiences to prove what she said. “When I was very small we went to visit one of our relatives during Avurudu season (New Year). I was so hungry, but no one seemed to be interested in eating. They were busy talking. There was a slate and a piece of chalk on a table. I took this and sketched a very thin girl whose tummy was shrunk from starvation. Luckily my uncle saw my drawing and exclaimed, ‘This child is hungry. Someone give something for her to eat.’ Then, I understood how important art is at conveying messages to others.”

She also spoke of a recent incident. “Once I went to Berlin on a scholarship. The family I lived with couldn’t speak English. On the first day, my guide left me there promising to come and pick me up the next morning. They didn’t know how to communicate with me so I tried something else. I drew a cow, a glass and a saucer and they understood that I wanted milk. Then I drew a picture of the Buddha and put a question mark. When I showed it to the mother of the family she said no and came with a picture of Jesus. Like this we started communicating. When the guide came back we were talking through pictures and laughing. She was surprised since we couldn’t speak to each other. When she asked my accommodators they’ve told her ‘She is fantastic, she talks through pictures.’

At Holy Family Convent she learnt hymns. Eager to sing little Sybil made sure that she sang these songs at home so that her mother could hear. “I am a Buddhist and my mother who didn’t know a word of English didn’t know that I was singing hymns. She appreciated my vocal skills. However, there weren’t any restrictions on learning about other religions. We had all the freedom we wanted and I believe this is why we respect other religions today. Unfortunately there are restrictions for children today in learning other religions where they are limited to learn only their religion of birth. Then they become insensitive and disrespectful towards other religions.”

She also believes that this respectful attitude towards other religions helped her to illustrate the children’s bible. Her illustrations for bible stories have a Sri Lankan uniqueness where Jesus has dark hair, angels have no wings and even the fishermen look like our fishermen from Negombo. “If children get their rightful freedom to create things and learn things without strict restrictions, they would not become insensitive. They should be understood at their level, to give solutions to their problems,” she said.

Pics by Chandana Wijesinghe

A third eye view of art

Artist and aesthetic scholar Champanie Devika Devaraja talks to Fine on how her paintings have developed over the years and also of her experiences in China as a student 

Champanie Devika Devaraja, the artist and poetess is familiar to The Nation readers due to her contributions. Her paintings of light colors and human-like figures with no facial features accompanied by the few lines of poetry accompanying the painting have been her signature for decades. She picked up the style in China while studying there on a scholarship. “This style is called ‘Scholars’ Paintings,” she said. “I came across some erudite people who could paint and write poetry to accompany the painting. There was philosophy in what they drew and in their poetry,” she said. “I could paint and write poetry. I too had a philosophy. I too have things to say and I realized that this is the ideal style for me,” Champanie added. She also said that she had practiced this style even before she got to know that it had actually been an ancient Chinese traditional art. She refers to her painting style as ‘lyrical paintings’ (Kawya Sithuwam).

Champanie said that she has been keen on aesthetic subjects since her very young days. In school, she studied art, music and dance and when she was in grade seven, she was sure that ‘Art’ was the subject she should follow for the Ordinary Level Examination. Although she had not been taught how to draw formally, she was encouraged by her father. As a kid, she was allowed to draw on the walls of her home and her father secured these wall paintings until she reached age ten without color washing the house. “Dancing and music didn’t allow me to enjoy what I did. I could enjoy my paintings after I drew them. Though I was twelve, I knew that I should be able to enjoy my work. Therefore selecting art as a subject was only natural,” she recalled. She said just as art, poetry too came to her naturally when she was a child.

She chose aesthetic subjects for the Advanced Level Examination too. “I could have chosen science stream. But I chose art. It was a headstrong decision that no one agreed with me,” she said. However securing good results from her Advanced Level Examination she qualified to enter Kelaniya University from St Paul’s Girls College, Kelaniya to follow a degree in Fine Arts. Before she commenced her aesthetic studies at St Paul’s College, she went to Biyagama Balika Vidyalaya to receive her primary education.

At the university she held too exhibitions and made a mark as the first female to hold a solo art exhibition at Kelaniya University. She was also awarded the Best Artist of the Year award at Kelaniya University in 1982. “My first exhibition was held in 1982 on my 21^st birthday,” she reminisced. “I followed various styles as a student, but I was mature enough to develop a style of my own by the time I completed my Master’s degree,” she added.

While Champanie was at the University she was awarded a scholarship by the Chinese government to learn Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute. In China she also followed an advanced art course at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in China in 1988 and later completed her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the same academy. “In China I gained practical knowledge on painting. Although I had the skills, I didn’t know how to use these skills, practically,” she explained.

Most of her paintings depict an idea parallel to the Buddhist philosophy. Light colors and the Bo leaf identified with her paintings is the symbol of philosophy which she admires. “Buddhism is nature. We call it Buddhism because Buddha taught it to us. What I draw is nature and therefore is naturally becomes a Buddhist theme,” she explained.

Champanie also said that art is the best method to free and relax the mind. “I can’t describe the freedom and relaxation in words. I believe art can challenge a person’s Karma,” she opined. “Painting is a solo art and a form of meditation. There is no internal talk within the mind when you draw and the mind gradually becomes calm and quiet while you engage deeply in your painting,” she added.

She further explained how painting works as a relaxation technique. "If a person starts scribbling or drawing when he or she is angry or sad, that disturbing feeling will go away," she said. "This person doesn't need to have a talent or be a professional. Just a pen or a pencil and a paper will help." She also said that using colors to express themselves is a helpful technique too. When a person uses colors, the colors he uses is a subconscious selection relevant to the mood. A completed drawing gives an insight into the painter. "Its common to great artists as well as a normal human being," she reiterated. "I usually practice this method with my students once in a while. Its very effective," she shared her personal experience.

Transcendent (Uththarana) is her 18^th Solo Art Exhibition. Her pervious exhibitions including ‘Mandala’ in 2012, ‘Divine Eye’ (Divasa) in 2009, ‘Felicitation’ (Bethipuda) in 2007 and ‘Third Eye’ in 2005 were successful events. Speaking about the paintings included in Transcendent she said that all the paintings included in the exhibition reflects her own style which she has followed since 1990. However, she said that she notices a development in her style. “It’s what I see when I look at myself from a distance,” she said. “When I started to follow this style, the figure was female. There were no visible boundary lines, the figure would float materializing from a thin line and ending in a cloud,” she explained. “This female figure has disappeared now. I suspect this has happened because my egoism is diminishing,” she said. “I feel that I don’t give priority to myself as I used to.”

In 2011, Champanie published the book, Mandala along with the exhibition of the same name including painting of Mandalas. A mandala is a complex abstract design that is usually circular in form and Mandala is the Sanskrit word for ‘circle’. According to her, the book Mandala is her experience about the orbs which can be seen in the pictures taken from digital cameras. The book was published based on her research findings about these orbs and it’s the first book written on this subject. “These orbs are what you see in some digital camera pictures. According to the book Thibbatha Malapotha (Maranaya Pilibanda Widyawa Hewath Thibbatha Malapotha) when we die our energy (Vignana Dathuwa) finally forms into an orb before it moves to another life. This influenced me to write the book and hold an exhibition about Manadala,” she explained.

She also said that those paintings exhibited in the Mandala exhibition were blessed with Jaya Piritha. “My attempt was to introduce the concept of benison (Asiriwada), to show that we can get blessings from the seen as well as what’s unseen,” she emphasized. She also said that she believes that the figures in her paintings could be the astral body. Many philosophers have posited about the astral body, intermediate between the intelligent soul and the mental body, composed of a subtle material. “It’s not the physical body I draw. I believe that it is something from the unseen world,” she iterated. Although the subjects of her paintings lack eyes, nose and mouth, ears are visible. She said that the ear represents the balance between the seen world and the unseen world. “Its not predictable, but the ears might also disappear in a future exhibition,” she said. She also mentioned that she can’t be certain about the development of her style because it happens unconsciously. 

 

Somalatha playing for children

 

 

When you play for children you have to give them knowledge while shaping the child’s personality. Our folklore has a lot of wisdom which is capable of doing just this

What we usually take notice about Somalatha Subasinghe is that she is a veteran theater artiste, an educationist, an actress and also a scriptwriter. She is also the pioneering personality behind Sri Lankan children’s theater. What few know is that she is also a talented artist. Her paintings range from portraits to landscapes. They portray love and compassion which are similar to the gifts she bestowed on Sri Lankan theater. “We had a great art master back in school that helped me to improve my talents. I once became first in an interschool art competition. Of course, I couldn’t continue it. But I have my painting in a room all covered with dust,” she laughed compassionately. 

Subasinghe obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1961 from the University of Ceylon, now Peradeniya University. She obtained her Master of Arts Qualified in Drama and Theatre in 1983. Participating in Prof Sarachchandra’s experimental productions as a young undergraduate marked the beginning of Subasinghe’s career. “There was no subject as Drama and theater during that period. I studied Sinhala, Economics and Literature for the Arts degree,” she said. “I think I was immersed in a porridge of culture back in school. Some of the teachers were artistes at Radio Ceylon and a lot of cultural events were held. I believe these opportunities to participate in various cultural events helped me immensely in my later productions.” Subasinghe studied at Musaeus College, Colombo and later joined another school for higher studies.

She was one of the first female stage artistes of Sri Lanka. She then went on to explore her performing prowess under many acclaimed directors. She put forth an explosive performance playing the character of Sara in Mudu Puththu, Gunasena Galappaththi’s adaptation of Garcia Lorca’s Yerma. She also made her mark in Sinhala cinema and well as teledrama, displaying outstanding talent. She was honored for her roles in highly acclaimed film productions, such as Viragaya. She wrote and directed many stage plays, and won the Best Director and Best Translated Production awards for the stage play Yadam and Best Director award for the play Antegone, at State Drama Festivals.  

Her creations reshaped the children’s and youth theatre in Sri Lanka. She received international recognition for productions such as Toppi Welenda (Hat Seller), Punchi Apata Dan Therei (We Know It Now), Rathmalee, Ottooi, Hima Kumariya, and Walas Pawula, she gave the opportunity for children to enjoy theatre. They have showcased our culture at a number of international children’s theatre festivals in Europe and Asia.

Following in the footsteps of her parents – her father was a principal and mother, a teacher – she joined the Ministry of Education as a graduate teacher in 1962. Over the years she held several positions in committees, initiating the inclusion of aesthetics, drama and theatre in primary and secondary school curriculum, for thirteen years. She also had a hand in designing the syllabus for Drama for Advanced Level students.  

She also worked with the Education Ministry, directing and producing plays with school children of all ages and conducted seminars and workshops for teachers in theater and radio programs. She was a visiting lecturer in Theatre Direction and Script Writing for undergraduates at Sri Palee Campus of University of Colombo. Subasinghe has also brought fame to Sri Lanka by representing the country at a number of international conferences, with years of experiences on theatre for children and youth. She was the Sri Lankan representative at the first ever Women’s Playwright Conference held in New York in 1988 and continued to represent Sri Lanka in Women’s Playwright Conferences thereafter.

Subasinghe is the pioneering personality in Children’s theater in Sri Lanka. Before her theater productions, there were no child-oriented productions. Children had to see commonly produced dramas. According to her, she was inspired by the discussions about children’s theater by WB Ratnayake, Gamini Wijesuriya, Bandula Jayawardhane and Nimal Diyasena. “Once they organized a workshop where dramatists from East Germany also participated. These discussions and the influence of Prof Sarachchandra and Gunasena Galappathi inspired me to study more about children’s theater,” she reminisced. “I went to England, Czechoslovakia and Soviet Union to observe children’s theater following a UNESCO fellowship. There I observed that children’s theater is meant for children. Even Othello could have been produced for children like a story. What’s suitable for a 30-year-old is not suitable for an 11-year-old.”

With these experiences and inspirations, she understood the potential of Sri Lankan folklore in shaping a child’s mind. “When you play for children you have to give them knowledge while shaping the child’s personality. Our folklore has a lot of wisdom which is capable of doing just this,” she iterated. “This knowledge should be given through an aesthetic experience; happiness, sadness or humor and songs. The child is entertained by music and rhythm, therefore it’s easy to drive the message home through songs,” she said. “We give sugar-coated bitter medicine to children don’t we? Songs and humor are like the sugar-coat of children’s theater,” she said. She also said that she sees the relationships and conflicts in society as elements in writing scripts for children. 

She believes that all the productions meant for children, television, radio, cinema or theater, should carry a moral value. She detested today’s cartoons, pointing out how hatred and revenge is being promoted. In her plays, she said, she has tried to illustrate peace, harmony and mercifulness so that the child will also learn the same. “One day after Hima Kumariya, a little girl came to me and said that she is angry with me that I didn’t punish the evil stepmother. I told her, ‘Darling she didn’t know that she was doing the wrong thing. Later she agreed to stay with snow white right? So it’s all right not to punish her, isn’t it?’ Not only the evil stepmother in Snow White, the cunning fox in Red Riding Hood was also forgiven by Subasinghe. She said that this must be the influence of the Buddhist philosophy she so admires.

Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation (LCYTF), best known as the Play House, Kotte, established by her in 1981 is also one of her greatest contributions towards the betterment of Sri Lankan theater. Under her direction, LCYTF has produced a number of plays including Vikurthi (Distortion). Vikurthi criticized the politics, education system as well as the values of the family system. It was a complete critique of the education system which turns a child into a robot rather than a sensible human being. She was able to empathize with the school children who saw A.Po.Sa – Sa. Pe (Adyayana Podu Sahathika Pathathra- Samanya Pela - GCE Ordinary Level) as Apo Saape! (What a curse!) Today, Vikurthi is acclaimed as a landmark of modern Sinhala Theatre.

She spoke about the limitations producers and directors of today, have to face. As she pointed out, lack of quality theaters and stages is a great barrier for dramatist to create elaborate presentations. “There should be intimacy between the audience and the actor during the play. A message has be conveyed by the theater man to the audience. That message should get across to the audience,” she explained. “The physical, facial expression of the actor and the voice should reach all the members of the audience. This would not be satisfied if the theater is too large although it has all the sophisticated acoustics or facilities,” she added. According to her, the principles of theater have changed immensely during the past few decades.

“You can’t play theater for thousands of people at once,” she pointed out. She also said that there is no ideal stage for theater productions, other than Lionel Wendt, in the country and it’s a huge disadvantage that the country does not possess theaters that could please the dramatist as well as the audience simultaneously. “We need theaters at least in three or four cities other than Colombo. This is an aspect which is not attended to at all,” she expressed her grief.

She spoke about the family values in society today. “The mother in the society today is not family centered. She is more concerned about the outside. They are in a race with the others and they want their children to follow them. Attention, love and compassion towards the child are not demonstrated enough. It is postponed or neglected because of their need to keep up with the rest of society,” she said. “I have observed that some of the young actors who don’t even have a proper place to live use sophisticated technology such as texting and taking pictures. Surprisingly, parents also support them in these. Parents are compelled to do so due to unemployment,” she opined.  

Subasinghe conquered her home as she conquered theater. Being a busy woman for many years, playing many roles in theater and in society she believes that the contemporary woman is capable of doing much more than what she does. “All you need is to have courage,’ she emphasized. “I managed my time. I always planned what I do, including how I am going to spend my free time. That is how I did all these,” she said.

She continued to speak about the women’s role in the family. “It is not that the man has sent the woman to the kitchen, but it is the woman’s self-consciousness that makes her think she belongs there,” Subasinghe said that Sri Lankan women have still not fully identified what they are capable of. “She is very clever at taking all the responsibility into her hand after marriage. She will do everything from preparing tea in the morning. And after the baby comes, she will be caged in her own house. Nobody told her to be so. Don’t you think that she is responsible for herself?” she posed a question.

Pics by Sakuna Gamage

Street art of Art Street

Pics by Ravindra Dharmathilake

If one takes Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, now called Nelum Pokuna Mawatha, to travel from Nelum Pokuna Theater towards National Art Gallery, the paintings displayed along the road cannot be missed. The exquisite paintings of realistic, wildlife, modern to integral styles as well as portraits grab the attention of passersby. Paintings on novel themes or revolutionary pieces show that the art street is a place where artists perform experiments and reach out for novelty. If one happens to visit Art Street during weekends he or she will be able to observe more than a thousand unique paintings. Yet, this experience is given to you free. 

Art Street is a collection of achievers; a group of talented artists who displays their creations for art lovers. Representing all the artists on Art Street, Rajakaruna Ananda, coordinator of the Open Air Art Society; the society functioning among Art Street painters, spoke to ‘Fine’ about the functions of Art Street. “We prefer to call this Art Street, as this is the only such place in Sri Lanka,” Ananda said proudly.

Art Street is located along Ananda Kumaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 7. “This is the only art street in Sri Lanka. There are countries where they have streets like this in the major cities in the world, where people can inspect, learn and buy paintings.” He explained that street art is simply visual art created in public locations, usually unsanctioned artwork executed outside of the context of traditional art venues and an art street is where an artist exhibits and sells art work.

Art Street is located in the center of tourist attractions. Art Street runs along opposite the back boundary of Viharamaha Devi Park, where Nelum Pokuna Theater is on one side and Kala Bhawana and National Museum on the other. Ananda pointed out that this road, frequented by tourists and art lovers, helps to promote their work. “In a way, this street contributes to the country’s economy through foreign revenue. Many tourists are attracted to this because this street is only a few minutes away from the Independence Square, Laksala and Colombo based tourist hotels,” he said.

A person who visits the Art Street might ponder whether these painters are unfortunate to not have a proper place to exhibit their creations. Yet, artist Ananda said that each and every artist on Art Street stays there voluntarily and they do get the best of appreciations from buyers as well as art lovers. “We are all happy to be here,” he said. “This is not a mere art sale; this also adds beauty to the city.” He said that almost all artists on Art Street are quite well-off and they are not here because they are unable to procure space in a private gallery.

Most of the artists on the street represent an art society, ‘Open Air Art Society’, and as Ananda explained this society maintains the quality of the paintings. “Our paintings will last a long time, much longer than our own lifetime. We also discuss our basic needs and future plans to function as a society,” he said. The foundation for the Open Air Art Society was laid over 15 years ago by the students of the University of the Visual and Performing Arts out of frustration that they weren’t able to find a gallery for their work.

“This society started functioning officially under this name seven years ago. Their attempt was successful and Art Street became a permanent place for painters to exhibit their talent.” Open Air Art Society has more than 50 members from different parts of the country, who use different styles.

According to Ananda, artists on Art Street are a mixed bag. “There are self-taught artists to artists who have received their bachelor’s degree in arts. There are wildlife painters to modern artists. There are the young and the adult,” he said. “Yet, we all follow the same guidelines to produce the best we can and I can guarantee that these paintings are of the finest quality, similar to most art you find in private galleries,” he added.

The busiest days of the Art Street are during weekends. Most of the artists can be seen alongside their paintings and some will also do new paintings during this time. It is a place of wisdom for them where they share their experiences, novelties and ideas. “Most of the artists here are engaged in other occupations. Most among them are art teachers. Some get invitations to paint for private institutions like hotels and companies. There are plenty of those who provide their paintings to private art galleries or foreign buyers,” he said. “Therefore, they will not be available on Art Street during the weekdays. But everyone flocks here on Saturday and Sunday.”

He also spoke about the customers of Art Street. “We have both foreign and local customers. We’ve been on the street for a long time now. We will not be able to survive for this long, if our paintings are not of the finest quality,” he explained. Art Street artists can also be commissioned. “If art lovers can’t find what they like on this street, they have the ability to choose their favorite artists and get them to paint what they desire using the colors they want and according to the canvas size they want,” Ananda pointed out another specialty of Art Street.

When buyers visit an art gallery hoping to buy art, they might not get the chance to talk to the artists. They only get to speak to the mediator who collects art and exhibits. If buyers could buy the paintings directly from the rightful owner, the price of a painting is less. When a mediator gets involved, the price goes up. “Most of the art galleries address only to a particular level of society. But Art Street is open to everyone. There are people who provide paintings for galleries here. It’s the same quality, but two prices,” he said.

“But we do not duplicate those paintings painted for galleries here. You can’t find the same painting here and at a gallery,” he noted. He also mentioned that on average Art Street sells five painting each day. “We sell more on weekends and less on the rainy season,” he said. There are paintings worth Rs 1,000 to 80,000 on the street. According to artists, buyers mostly demand traditional paintings which represent Sri Lankan culture. Ananda also mentioned that the demand is very good that they cannot complain about the local buyers for lack of demand. 

“Sometimes it is surprising to see the enthusiasm of the art lovers. Art Street is the best place where art lovers of any level can come and enjoy art,” he said. 

He further explained how the value of a painting rises when it is exhibited at a reputed gallery. He explained how the space allocated to a single painting; time and space the art lover has inside a gallery and the special attention towards a single painting becomes the factors which increase the price. “All this should be calculated when the price of a painting is determined. This is why there is a difference in prices,” he explained. 

Art Street is not a burden to anyone. All the artists on the street are satisfied with their current placement. “Few years ago, we were placed around Viharamaha Devi Park. We were allowed to display our paintings on their iron fence. That fence was taken down when the park was modified and consequently we were asked to move here,” he said that everyone is happy that the Ministry of Defense has promised that the Art Street will continue to function along Nelum Pokuna Mawatha.

Originally published : http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/30183-street-art-of-art-street.html