Beauty of the South at the tip of his ballpoint pen
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The artist Mangala Madanayake
The artist Mangala Madanayake known for his signature ball point drawings, will bring to life the beauty of the South during his 24th solo exhibition to be held on January 28 and 29 at the Dutch building in Nupe, Matara from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Using simple strokes of ball point on a canvas is Mangala’s forte and this time he has chosen to focus on the South and capture scenes such as Matara town, the Galle Fort, the Dutch architecture, the coast and the Southerners and their way of life.
Though mostly turning out ballpoint sketches, he has also used acrylic, oils and water colours to show his competency in handling all these mediums, says Mangala, a fulltime painter who makes a living by selling his works.
As to why he picked the ballpoint pen as a medium of painting, Mangala says, it was his desire to do something new. With just four colours of ball point pen available in the market back in the day – black, blue, red and green- the task, he knew, was going to be somewhat challenging.
“By changing the pressure you apply, you can create different shades of a particular colour. Also you can mix the four colours to create new shades,” says Mangala.
Mangala has held exhibitions since 1994. His first was at the National Art Gallery when he was studying at Richmond College, Galle. With no formal education in art, Mangala depended entirely on his creativity and experience to establish himself in the industry.
His success story includes winning three Presidential Awards in 1997, 2004 and 2007. He has also been a recipient of an award by the Sri Lanka – China Friendship Foundation for a painting he did for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Apart from his regular local showings, Mangala has participated in an international exhibition in 1997, in Singapore. Mangala’s upcoming exhibition which is open to the public free of charge will feature 60 paintings.
- Dhananjani Silva