In the footsteps of their guru, Royden
He needs no introduction, for Royden Gibbs is well known for his water-colour paintings. But on September 7, it is not his works of art that will go on display but those of his students, a fine mix, whom he has guided with his expertise.
‘Facets of Colour’, will bring out the artistry of just a handful, eight to be exact, of his many students.
Royden Gibbs
For Chaturi Katugampola, art has opened her eyes to the beauty of life and she says that although expressing herself has never been easy, she has been able to create a representation of the world as she sees it. “Scenes of nature are my passion,” she says, while Maldivian housewife Fainaz Ahmed has always had a penchant for arts and crafts. “It requires a lot of effort and patience to master painting, especially with water colours,” says Fainaz.
The youngest in the group, 12-year-old Thaveesha Gunasekara, studying at Musaeus College, Colombo, prefers to indulge in water-colour paintings of flora and fauna, while her father, Prakash Gunasekara, an airline pilot, prefers colour pencils. “I got attracted to painting in this medium when I saw students painting portraits of people on the streets of Karachi with colour pencils, to earn pocket money,” he says, adding that he likes wildlife. Five of Prakash’s paintings done with water soluble colour pencils will be part of ‘Facets of Colour’.
Pasindu Asiri Gunasekara whose hearing impairment has not curbed his creativity pays tribute to Guru Royden for nurturing his talents.
While Dayanthi Athulathmudali has taken pencil drawings of what is seen in nature to a new level, Nirosh Perera, a wildlife enthusiast has opted to use soft pastel and charcoal to produce life-like paintings of colourful birds, with ideas of broadening his work to include Big Cats.
Devika Florrimell who had begun as a portrait painter is now amazed by nature’s beauty and enjoys capturing some of its magnificence. “It is exciting and presents a challenge for me to accurately depict the world around us,” she says.
Explaining that he teaches his students to use a wide array of media such as acrylic, oil, water colours, pastels, pen and ink, Royden points out that different people have different preferences not only with regard to the medium they like to use but also on what they like to paint.
As he puts them through their paces, teaching them the rudiments of drawing and painting and taking them to a higher level, Royden says, “I am a disciplinarian”.‘Facets of Colour’ will be inaugurated on September 7 at 6 p.m. at the Lionel Wendt, with the public being able to view the paintings on September 8 and 9 from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
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