After my husband passed away in 2004, I found myself in deep despair. A year later, I gave myself the assignment to find joy. I had no idea HOW I would do that. Since I had done a lot of drawing & some painting when I was young, & had a career as a decorator, I realized I am very fulfilled when doing something creative. With that thought, in late 2006, I enrolled in oil painting courses. I thought at best it would be a distraction, but it became so much more. I discovered I had talent. After a few years, I started to submit my artwork to juried art exhibits. I have shown my paintings in many art shows & galleries throughout Southern California & have won some awards. One painting even won FIRST PLACE in the 2017 City of Los Angeles Senior Art Exhibit!

Retired. Introspective. My artwork is a reflection of my life. It makes me feel grounded and fully present. My paintings are inspired by a celebration of the human spirit, and an appreciation of whimsy and beauty.

For decades, I have admired the still-life paintings by Dutch artists of the 17th century. Not only do they give us a detailed view of Dutch culture, but they were painted in a style as realistic as photographs. Now, in the genre of what’s become known as “history photography,” I create still lives with my camera, using classic approaches to composition and lighting. While never copying a painting, I re-interpret the historic themes, using only objects that would have been appropriate in the 17th-century paintings. From my ever-growing collection, the pewter plates, baskets, Chinese porcelain, oriental carpets, silver vessels, and traditional Roemer wine glasses all seem to spring right out of the Dutch still lifes.

Reconsidering the art of another culture in another era – and making it relevant for us today – is a complex idea to bring to one’s photographs. Nonetheless, I hope that my work not only reinterprets the styles but also the spirit of the 17th-century Dutch – and through them, creates a reflection back onto our own culture.

Over the past few years, my work has won international recognition for my re-imagining of 17th-century Dutch still life paintings. The original paintings were executed in a style as realistic as photographs. Today, I create still lifes with my camera that, to many, look as realistic as paintings. I use the Dutch painters’ classic approaches to composition and lighting, and though I never copy a painting, I re-interpret the traditional themes, using only historically appropriate objects. To me, reconsidering the art of another culture in another era – and making it relevant for us today – is a complex idea to bring to one’s photographs. Nonetheless, I hope that my work not only reinterprets the styles but also the spirit of the 17th-century Dutch – and through them, creates a reflection back onto our own culture.

In addition to still lifes, my photography has also concentrated on the botanical world, in particular, close-ups of flowers in various stages of their life cycle. Working with flowers this way has given me insights into their special characteristics, which I can then translate into my still life compositions.

For decades, I have admired the still-life paintings by Dutch artists of the 17th century. Not only do they give us a detailed view of Dutch culture, but they were painted in a style as realistic as photographs. Now, in the genre of what’s become known as “history photography,” I create still lifes with my camera, using classic approaches to composition and lighting. While never copying a painting, I re-interpret the historic themes, using only objects that would have been appropriate in the 17th-century paintings. From my ever-growing collection, the pewter plates, baskets, Chinese porcelain, oriental carpets, silver vessels, and traditional Roemer wine glasses all seem to spring right out of the Dutch still-life.

Reconsidering the art of another culture in another era – and making it relevant for us today – is a complex idea to bring to one’s photographs. Nonetheless, I hope that my work not only reinterprets the styles but also the spirit of the 17th-century Dutch – and through them, creates a reflection back onto our own culture.

There is nothing so exciting as a blank canvas and an image before me that needs to be painted. It makes my soul so happy to be in that place. My happy place! There has to be something exciting about the subject that appeals to me, that makes me want to paint it. Be it the subject, the lighting, the atmosphere, the composition, the colors, or the emotional appeal.

I usually start with a quick charcoal sketch to lay down the composition and design of the painting and establish lights and darks. Next, I cover the canvas with paint. Ahh. But after that, the struggle begins. Bringing the painting from the basic concept to the finished piece is not always easy. Fortunately, most of the time I’m happy with the finished painting. So happy. To a struggle. To be happy again. That’s my process.

Through my work, I try to clarify my views on world events and culture, while aspiring to irony and humor. I also seek joy in human absurdity. It’s an egocentric exercise that’s both therapeutic and entertaining. My art cheers me up though I make no claims for the impact of my art on others. The planet may not be habitable in another twenty years, governments are becoming increasingly fascist, attention spans are in decline, and the national business is war profiteering. New décor anyone?

I rely on traditional oil painting techniques and call my style “Nihilist Frivolity.”

I love to experiment with mediums and colors and often mix different techniques, which gives my art more life. This is evident in my dynamic use of mixed media, incorporating everything from expressive brushstrokes and thick impasto textures to collage elements and graphic lines.

As an artist, I want to help people see the beauty of simple things around us. My work encourages viewers to see more than just an object, but to see connections with life, feelings, and emotions that can be awakened through art. The recurring motifs in my work—such as the expressive “blue cat,” vivid still life paintings, and warm, evocative landscapes—serve as anchors for these deeper emotional connections.

For me, art is a form of Yoga, and my devotion reigns supreme through absolute concentration and singularity. I heal as I create, in a spontaneous metamorphosis of polymer clay, brought to life through my hands. When I, in this life, returned to Sri Lanka, I was overwhelmed by its rich and mystic culture; my world turned upside down. I draw inspiration from Sri Lankan legends, myths, and ancient tales, integrating them with my internal world. For me, the contrast between the Day and the Night is stark – the latter is a time of seclusion, silence, and shadow. Painting, refracted through the light of stars, becomes a mantra, a healing devotion to the Supreme.

I pursue contemporary and indie art and my artworks stem from my prior experiences, feelings, and philosophical thoughts around life and death. My
illustrations demonstrate the differential effects of emotions throughout an individual’s stages of life, including suffering and celebrations. Personal life
matters and complex relationships with friends, family, and society affect people’s lives in indescribable and intangible ways. As an immigrant who has
traveled across different parts of the world, I lacked belongingness and came across many hardships and challenges but eventually became accustomed to living a nomad life. My illustrations are reflections of one’s complicated feelings and incomplete life journeys. I am motivated by drawing and weaving versatile feelings and thoughts together using symbols and colors. My illustrations portray rocks, stones, people, and the environment, the ocean. The history behind rocks goes back centuries: rocks represent the foundation of life, and they have existed since the very beginning of the earth. They can be heavy and rigid but also stable and immutable.

For instance, being stuck underneath the heavy rocks is a presentation of diverse stress factors and hardships that weigh down people’s lives. Additionally, in Buddhism, after the cremation of monks or followers, Buddhist relics, sari, crystal, or pearl-like small stones appear. These stones serve as a legacy of the person and an outcome of the Buddhist’s life-long journey. Although faith requires believing without seeing, sari tangibly shows the level of one’s endurance, hardships, and meditation to others, and this results stage only comes after death. Ironically, people cannot observe their own sari. Ocean represents a bottomless pit, the world of the unknown, and an endless horizon. There are numerous possibilities, but there is also the fear of not having a boundary. Take a moment to let everything pass, drop the heavy rock, and recover and celebrate life.