Prameesha Gunawardhana tried her hand at art similar to the time and manner in which most of us do – however she went on to discover it was her niche and has never looked back since: “I have been caught in the wonder of capturing the world around me from as long as I remember. As many aspiring artists I was one diligently working on caricatures of teachers and fellow students in my text books when lessons got boring in school. Even though propensity to draw all the time didn’t ultimately help with my exams I guess the practice helped in other ways- honing my skills as an artist. Now I sketch on a sketchbook and not on my textbooks!”

She started off at Cora Abrahams Art Classes and climaxed by obtaining her Degree in Graphic Design New Media from the Surrey University of Art and Design (now known as the University for the Creative Arts), UK.

She has exhibited her work in an array of locations from London, to Nuwara Eliya to Geoffrey Bawa’s Lunuganga estate, Barefoot and the Kala Pola spanning over nearly a decade from 2004 to present. Her portraits of Sangakkara and Mahela were auctioned at Lords this last July and she gifted her painting, ‘Tent Pegging’ to her Royal Highness Princess Haya Al Bint Hussein last month. She opens up on today’s Artist Angle.

Which works of yours are you most happy about? Which ones did you most enjoy working on?

It is very difficult to pick a favorite as every painting gives a sense of satisfaction during its creation. I guess the few I most enjoy working on are where I feel a sense of freedom when working on them, a sense of being immersed in the feel of the paint, the movement within the painting. The experience can be very meditative and intense at the same time. 

What is the best part about being an artist?

The ability to create. Time spent painting or making something belongs to the artist. You have to often empty your mind to focus and sometimes it can be an escape from reality. 

What have you learned and how have you changed as an artist over the years?

This is a very broad question. From painting I have learned that every painting has a potential to teach me something. The hundreds of paintings on wasted paper have probably taught me more than the ones that finally made the cut. Mistakes should be embraced, often in trying to save paintings from little 'oops!' moments- I have created some of my best work.

It is also good to get some distance from your work. Whatever you create, how good or bad you think it is, it helps to put it away and come back to it after a time. Often I feel differently about it, helping to move that work to the next stage.

I have come to understand that the moment you personally believe you are an expert in the field is the moment you stop trying to grow as an artist. Even a person who has never picked up a brush has the potential to teach me something about seeing an object that can help me portray it differently. I hope to be learning in this amazing field even when I am very old and grey. 

There have been many changes and I hope growth when I look back to my first paintings and now. I began with working primarily in black and white with inks and charcoal with a lot of tonal studies within my body work as still reflected in recent paintings 'Reverberating Shadows' and  'Tentpegging'.

Through experimentation I introduced color, and creating paintings like 'Momentum' and 'Strokes of Light'. I still enjoy working with inks and charcoal and love the freedom to move between mediums thus the many mixed media paintings I create. 

Of late I have been focusing on the properties of each medium and the many different techniques used by artists over the years, particularly in the amazing world of watercolor.

What new things are you hoping to try out in times to come?

There is so much to learn within every medium be it inks, watercolor, oils, photography etc. I want to study all of it! Sculpture is a subject I haven't touched in a long time and want to venture into that soon as well.

By Nivedha Jeyaseelan

Prameesha Gunawardhana tried her hand at art similar to the time and manner in which most of us do – however she went on to discover it was her niche and has never looked back since: “I have been caught in the wonder of capturing the world around me from as long as I remember. As many aspiring artists I was one diligently working on caricatures of teachers and fellow students in my text books when lessons got boring in school. Even though propensity to draw all the time didn’t ultimately help with my exams I guess the practice helped in other ways- honing my skills as an artist. Now I sketch on a sketchbook and not on my textbooks!”

She started off at Cora Abrahams Art Classes and climaxed by obtaining her Degree in Graphic Design New Media from the Surrey University of Art and Design (now known as the University for the Creative Arts), UK.

She has exhibited her work in an array of locations from London, to Nuwara Eliya to Geoffrey Bawa’s Lunuganga estate, Barefoot and the Kala Pola spanning over nearly a decade from 2004 to present. Her portraits of Sangakkara and Mahela were auctioned at Lords this last July and she gifted her painting, ‘Tent Pegging’ to her Royal Highness Princess Haya Al Bint Hussein last month. She opens up on today’s Artist Angle.

Which works of yours are you most happy about? Which ones did you most enjoy working on?

It is very difficult to pick a favorite as every painting gives a sense of satisfaction during its creation. I guess the few I most enjoy working on are where I feel a sense of freedom when working on them, a sense of being immersed in the feel of the paint, the movement within the painting. The experience can be very meditative and intense at the same time. 

What is the best part about being an artist?

The ability to create. Time spent painting or making something belongs to the artist. You have to often empty your mind to focus and sometimes it can be an escape from reality. 

What have you learned and how have you changed as an artist over the years?

This is a very broad question. From painting I have learned that every painting has a potential to teach me something. The hundreds of paintings on wasted paper have probably taught me more than the ones that finally made the cut. Mistakes should be embraced, often in trying to save paintings from little 'oops!' moments- I have created some of my best work.

It is also good to get some distance from your work. Whatever you create, how good or bad you think it is, it helps to put it away and come back to it after a time. Often I feel differently about it, helping to move that work to the next stage.

I have come to understand that the moment you personally believe you are an expert in the field is the moment you stop trying to grow as an artist. Even a person who has never picked up a brush has the potential to teach me something about seeing an object that can help me portray it differently. I hope to be learning in this amazing field even when I am very old and grey. 

There have been many changes and I hope growth when I look back to my first paintings and now. I began with working primarily in black and white with inks and charcoal with a lot of tonal studies within my body work as still reflected in recent paintings 'Reverberating Shadows' and  'Tentpegging'.

Through experimentation I introduced color, and creating paintings like 'Momentum' and 'Strokes of Light'. I still enjoy working with inks and charcoal and love the freedom to move between mediums thus the many mixed media paintings I create. 

Of late I have been focusing on the properties of each medium and the many different techniques used by artists over the years, particularly in the amazing world of watercolor.

What new things are you hoping to try out in times to come?

There is so much to learn within every medium be it inks, watercolor, oils, photography etc. I want to study all of it! Sculpture is a subject I haven't touched in a long time and want to venture into that soon as well.

By Nivedha Jeyaseelan