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Magazine |
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Giving life
to birds Thirty works
of art will be on display - most of them water colour paintings.
Others will consist of black and white drawings as well as acrylic
paintings. Lester prefers
drawing endemic bird species - that is, birds that are found in
the wild only in Sri Lanka. "The forest species are very interesting,
but difficult to locate, and involve more effort and skill to capture
in drawing," he says. "I don't
see myself as an artist or illustrator, but really an avid bird
watcher who also sketches birds for pleasure," says Lester.
Those who have seen his work, however, appreciate his artistic skill,
attention to detail and commitment to produce authentic portraits
of his favourite avifauna. Lester produces
paintings and drawings based on field sketches that are painstakingly
and patiently made during or just after field observations. "For
me, this is the most thrilling part of bird watching," he says.
"Some birds are very rare and therefore difficult to spot in
the wild - such as the Scaly Thrush. The challenge is to commit
to memory or sketch book Lester is a
self-taught bird watcher and artist who has combined his artistic
skill with his passion for nature and wildlife. He quit his private
sector job last year to devote time to his twin passions of bird
watching and bird painting. He now works as a specialist tour guide
for groups of foreign tourists who arrive in Sri Lanka on bird watching
excursions. Lester held
his first exhibition in Colombo in 1990, which was received well
by friends and fans alike. Further exhibitions followed in 1991,
1996 (Colombo and Kandy) and again in 2001. His repertoire expanded
with each exhibition, while his mastery of the subject increased.
Lester has
spent time in Thailand, Singapore and India observing the diverse
bird life in these countries. Most recently, he spent two weeks
travelling in the western Ghats in India, visiting places such as
the Periyar National Park, Annamalai Hills (also known as Top Slip),
Ooty and Mudumalai. "In some
ways, this is probably the most difficult and frustrating form of
art," says Lester. Many bird populations are dwindling owing
to environmental degradation and habitat destruction. Even at the
best of times, observing some bird species in the wild requires
a great deal of field knowledge, patience and luck. Painting birds
in flight is particularly difficult, and involves many hours of
observing the same species from different angles. Varying light
and ground conditions make this task even more arduous. "Giving
life to any living creature on paper is indeed a challenge. It's
both a gift and a skill that needs to be sharpened over years,"
says the young artist whose work has adorned magazine covers, as
well as specialist and popular books on bird watching. Among the
books he has illustrated is the Birdwatchers Guide to Sri Lanka,
published by the Oriental Bird Club (OBC) in the UK. His work has
appeared in journals such as Bulletins of the OBC and Loris published
by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka. These days,
Lester has to balance his tour guide role with his need to capture
details of birds he would like to sketch. He rarely uses photographs
and never keeps the birds in captivity for his paintings. Instead,
he combines quick field sketches with what he commits to memory. The exhibited work will also be available for sale. Part of the sales will go towards an award to a grassroots level person who has served the cause of conservation. Lester Perera will consult with several environmentalists to find a deserving recipient of this award, which will be a gesture of recognition from one nature lover to another. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
p.m.
enough
detail of such rare birds so that I can draw an authentic painting."
