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Losing oneself in a huge canvas of colour
Carl Muller visits an exhibition of the paintings of Daisy Campbell now on at the Alliance Francaise Gallery, Kandy.
People will tell you, and most decidedly, that the Bandaranaike family is best known for its production of politicians. I suppose, at a present day count, this could be correct; but there is an aesthetic side that needs to be taken note of, the world of art, of refinement of spirit, of rare creativity that is also very much evident.

Take Sunethra and her striving and ideas; wrapped, as it were, in ribbons of caring, sympathy, nurturing and deep feeling. We are all aware of the wonderful work of the Sunera Foundation. And, in Kandy, another member of the family lives in a creative world that is uniquely her own. Daisy-Dias-Abeysinghe, now Daisy Campbell, practically pulses with brush and canvas and the magical world she creates. She is wholly oblivious to the tribute that is her due; no true artist bothers about such. She is at her vibrant best in her sun-kissed "studio" that looks down at the gambol of the Mahaweli as it churns past pink pastel rocks and outcrops of slate, filling her senses with line and form and the breathless compositions that guide her as she works.

Daisy is her own person in every way. She shares with Colombo poetess, Trixie Marthenesz, a fascination for owls. Trixie once told me that her collection of hand-crafted owls from many parts of the world, give her inspiration. I wonder if they also ruffle the shining feathers of Daisy's imagination, for the owls in all their patterned beauty, do dominate her home. With them, she conducts her own love affair and they surely move her to envision what she must put face and form to.

It must have been quite an honour to be invited to display her art at the Alliance Francaise, Kandy - the very first such exposition there in this brand new year. "It can be no better beginning for 2004," she was told and she simply could not demur. Yet, as I well know, her art rises from her own personal pleasure with no thought of fame, plaudits or encomiums. "I paint because of the deep inner satisfaction it gives me," she says. The true artist talking!

Taking in her paintings is to lose oneself in a huge canvas that combines the elements of cubism, pictography, the influences of Iberian and old Mediterranean, the sweep of modernism, much that is impressionistic, even a glimpse of the surrealistic; and each carrying a message that begs to be defined. As we find in the compound values of ancient Mohenjo -daro, she can be "uril" - in the country, or "ilil" - in the house, and there is this inner and outer artistic experience that seems as though it has been given a compelling lustre at a lapidarist's wheel.

With each offering one sees an extraordinary philosophical idea- the "internal word" so to say, that is the hallmark of creativity. To translate this is to identify behind it all, the manasa asanaya - the "fruit of the mind" that is an attribute of the old Sumerian god An. It is the easy and flowing perfection of line that simply cries out for admiration - a slow descending stairway makes one wonder what lies above; the descent into a garden where clay pots stand guard of honour brings modernism and rusticity together in a warm, urban embrace; the oval intake of light details an interior that makes the painting on the far wall glow. Waves raise calligraphs as they prepare to break on a waiting shore, rising out of a solemnity of deeper blue space to spatter crystals of happiness on a solemn strand. More informal is the chill-blue lagoon, dribbling its message among the rocks and leafless sapling that has stubbornly anchored itself, waving to the water to do its worst.

What makes it all stand out is the intentness and colour spectrum of each composition. The spreads of blue and ruby are not given precedence, but punctuated by the lines of paler, more effective counterpoint that makes for perfect balance. To Daisy, texture is vital and the brush made to work as scalpel and high liner, pad and gossamer web. There is a deft pointillistic touch outdoors, bold sweeps of colour within and they complement each other ably.

Daisy did exhibit at the Alliance, Kandy much earlier and that, too, was stirring in scope. The new collection is positively mind-boggling. Each painting is like the recapture of a dream that impinges on waking. It is only the true artist who can see this world, mundane as it is today, as a wellspring of line and form as it was intended to be- from the patterned core of a tree to the elegant dwellings of those who raise with brick, stucco, chrome, steel, rock and mortar their own habitats.

The exhibition opened on January 16, goes on for ten days. A new year, a new presentation, in the new locale of the Alliance Francaise on Peradeniya Road. Also, a new celebration of art. Oh yes, politics may be the stamp of the Bandaranaike family, but with it runs creativity. It seems that within the political body rise the ganglions of art. What a tremendous combination!

A brush with past recollections of nature
By Priyanwada Ranawaka
William Wordsworth defined poetry as "emotions recollected in moments of tranquillity". But in the case of Ranjith Dharmatilake, this can be applied to his form of painting as well. He is all set to hold his fifth solo exhibition on Jan 24 and 25. The theme of his exhibition is ' Unseen Beauty'.

On the whole, one would initially find his paintings to be mere visual renderings of landscape. But according to the artist they are illustration of his emotions at the recollection of his past experiences with nature. "There is an equality in the changes of nature and human emotions," says Ranjith.

Another feature of his paintings is that, each of his works do not take more than five to 15 minutes to complete. His uninhibited brush strokes may take only a limited time, but the degree of creativity in the final work seems unlimited. More than 150 watercolour paintings will be on display.

Over the years Ranjith Dharmatilake has won more than 60 national prizes. This includes 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in all island art, logo and poster competitions. He has represented Sri Lanka at the bi- annual South Asian Art Competition and also won an award for a competition held between South Asian artists in 1998.

Among his biggest achievements is the first prize he won in a Poster Art competition held among artists from 77 countries. Born in Badulla, there is no doubt that Ranjith has many close experiences with nature, which inspire him. Currently he is a lecturer at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, University of Kelaniya. His exhibition will be open between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery.

It’s time for Kala Pola once again
Kala Pola, Colombo's most successful and popular artistic event was presented for the first time in July 1993 and thereafter every January. This year's Kala Pola will be held today, January 18 opposite the National Art Gallery, Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 3 from 10 a.m. onwards.

Taking painting and sculpture from galleries and museums into the open air, Kala Pola provides a diverse collection for thousands to appreciate and acquire. Kala Pola has been presented by the George Keyt Foundation annually and in this 12th year, it will be the eleventh presentation sponsored by the John Keells Group.

Over the years Kala Pola has become a festival and testing ground for artists and aspiring artists. The number participating rose to an unprecedented 328 in January 2003 with collective sales of almost Rs. 4.5 million. The organisers invite all art lovers to Kala Pola this morning.

Variations on the sitar
By Renu Warnasuriya
" To give a Sri Lankan identity to the sitar while honouring the Hindustani tradition," is what Pradeep Ratnayake, Sri Lanka's expert sitarist hopes to do. This will be his focus at his performance on January 23 at the Bishop’s College Auditorium.

This concert held to celebrate the 54th anniversary of India's Republic Day, is presented by the India Sri Lanka Foundation. As a musician Pradeep experiments with various styles and techniques, particularly in his original compositions. To enhance the Sri Lankan flavour Pradeep will be accompanied by Sri Lankan drums and tabla.

" He has added a Sri Lankan dimension to his playing and created a distinct identity with subtle variations of how he handles his instrument," says Professor Carlo Fonseka who went on to say that Pradeep has both the inborn talent and technical knowledge needed to create " pure music”.

A lecturer at the Sri Jayawardenepura University, Pradeep began playing at the age of five. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree in music, from Santiniketan, India and has just completed his Master of Music degree also from Santiniketan. This will be Pradeep’s first public performance after this achievement.

The show will start at 7 p.m. and entrance is by invitation. The guests of honour for the event will be, the High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, Nirupam Sen and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in India Mangala Munasinghe.

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