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Emotional highs and lows

"My art is an expression of my emotions," says Dep Thushara, who is holding his first solo exhibition at the Paradise Road Galleries. Twenty-nine-year-old Thushara hails from Tangalle where he was first initiated into the art world as a student; his teachers at school immediately spotted his talent and gave him encouragement and guidance.

His works are figurative and he uses earthy tones along with splashes of bright colour presenting the viewer with a composition of his emotional highs and lows. The movement in his paintings conveys his innermost feelings and the vibrations of his stirring spirit.

Thushara does not claim to have any deep message in his paintings but rather leaves it to the viewer to enjoy and experience. Having won five awards at the exhibitions he had participated in over the last few years, his skills which he nurtured by following courses both at Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts and the Sri Lanka National Design Centre, are fast maturing.

Unlike many contemporary artists who have hidden interpretations in their art, Thushara's paintings are, like himself, straightforward, portraying the struggle of one’s day-today life. His painting 'Fly' expresses his desire to escape from the harshness of reality. The beauty of the figure with brightly coloured wings struggling to reach up into the air leaves the viewer overwhelmed.

This exhibition of paintings by Dep Thushara currently on display at Paradise Road Galleries,will continue until July 22.

- Saskia Fernando