Abstract and fluid creations
Bold, eye catching, sophisticated –adjectives which capture the essence of Sumali Piyatissa’s portraits for her upcoming exhibition “KOLORFLO”.
This artist is as vibrant as the intensity of colour you see on her canvases, her artistry is painted with carefully maneuvered brush strokes making a clear white canvas a piece of art that anyone would be happy to take home.
The exhibition will take place on July 7 and 9 at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm.
Sumali has a sentimental connection to her pieces. On closer inspection you might notice that the artist “Sumali” has enigmatically signed her pieces “Buki”. When questioned about it Sumail laughs. The nickname was given to her by her late father due to her love for the Abba song ‘Yes Sir, I can Boogie’ when she was young.
Her father, her biggest motivator to start painting, affectionately deconstructed the word “Boogie” nicknaming his daughter (what we can only assume is the Sri Lankan equivalent) “Buki” instead.
The name stuck, well into Sumali’s adult life, even after the loss of her father at the tender age of eleven years old, Sumali signs her paintings with her childhood nickname – a sign of love on a canvas of paint.
Sumali Piyatissa. Pic courtesy Saatchi Art
“My father always wanted me to paint,” Sumali states “He saw in something in me at that time” she recalls being only around 7 or 8 when she started drawing. She fondly remembers her father getting her to paint Christmas cards where he would proceed to distribute to everyone they knew.
However, as Sumali got older art took on a minor role in her life.She muses “Art kind of drifted away from me for a while,” as she juggled work, studies and a hectic ‘adult’ life with all its priorities and agendas.
The hiatus didn’t last very long with Sumali saying “I kind of missed it”, painting whenever she could during her free times and taking classes in withKumari De Alwis in 2000.
She started exhibiting her work at the Kala Pola art market Colombo, and has sold portraits in Sri Lanka and abroad through the online platform saatchiart.com.
Her work also hangs on the walls of friends and family, at the Havelock City model apartments and Goodies at Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel. Although she currently works full time, Sumali now makes time for her passion.
This July, ‘KOLORFLO’ will feature a range of abstract and fluid art. Although we haven’t seen much fluid art in
Sri Lanka Sumali’s paintings are distinctive creations with boldly used colour palates.
She says her techniques are almost accidental and experimental in its metamorphoses.
Fluid Art, a process of pouring various acrylics to create a hypnotizing effect on canvas, is as unpredictable as it sounds says Sumali “You don’t know what you will get.”
KOLORFLO will be Sumali (Buki’s) second solo exhibition. The main theme for KOLORFLO will be a “Blending of colours,” Sumali says, guaranteeing to bring out the ‘wow’ factor of her work.
Greatly moved by her faith, Sumali captures biblical verses, merging them into her work.
Her paintings are what we can describe as ‘divine inspiration’ embodying the spirit and nature of the messages and teachings of God. Some of her paintings titled “Trust in Me” and “King of my Heart” are some such examples of her more devout pieces.
An unusual piece titled “Breath of God” Sumali revealed was drawn one way but is now displayed upside down, (truthfully we didn’t see the difference as it looks picturesque either way– and apparently that’s the goal here!)
“Religion plays a big part in my paintings,” Sumali states, however some of her other work are inspired by her travels abroad.
A travel bug by heart Sumali is an exhibition goer who finds home in galleries. She enjoys sitting on the long wooden benches for hours in Western galleries, gazing in wonder at the masterpieces adorning the walls.
Pix by M.A.Pushpa Kumara
Her motivation to try her hand at Fluid art stemmed from her travels to Australia, where she noticed the growing trend for this particular technique. Having visited galleries in Australia, New York, Washington D.C, Brussels and many more places.
Sumali states “My view on art was limited but now I enjoy playing around with the colours”.
Unique aspects of Sumali’s creations are also the way in which they are framed. Her frames take on a diversified portfolio of shapes and sizes, from hexagons to ovals; one particular rectangular frame even attached on top of a mirror gives her a work a sophisticated, aesthetic touch.
Sumali’s work we noticed uses the colour yellow, minimally found or in different shades, it’simprinted into almost all her work. When inquiringabout it the bubbly artist revealed it to be her favorite colour from her whole palate, the yellow pigment making her associate it with sunflowers, and making us associate it with her vibrant persona.
She is full of delight as she speaks of her muses Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet – artist who were eminent for their styles of Impressionism ( a style famous in the 19th century where artist painted bright vibrant pictures of images that captures an object as someone would see it if they just caught a glimpse of it).
Her awe is apparent as she shows us her treasured prints from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York of celebrated paintings of the two artists.
KOLORFLO will take place on July 7 and 9 at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm. Entrance Free. For more information contact Sumali’s on www.bukiarts.com.