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‘Nothing but blue skies ‘
This artist reaches high to escape reality
By Apsara Kapukotuwa
" Since I was six or seven, I always wanted to live with just coconuts and the sun around me every day. Because I am old now, I decided the time is right to live my dreams. I'm fed up with Europe, it was like an old mistress you don't want to see anymore."

As Eric Leraille spoke to me of what essentially makes him who he is, his pale blue eyes reminiscent of the beautiful skies he loves to paint, I felt myself secretly envying his freedom to be exactly what he wants to be--'a painter in paradise', just like his idol, the French painter, Paul Gauguin, who left France and spent his last years painting in tropical islands such as Tahiti.

Born in 1950 and quitting university at the age of 21, Eric says he was aided in realising his dream by a woman (a sculptor) who locked him up in a room for three days so that he could find out whether painting was in his soul. "I told her I can't write or be in theatre, so she wanted to see how good a painter I was." Encouraged, he joined an art academy in Paris in 1973, at the age of 23 but left it after just three months after because he couldn't handle authority.

From pyramids to memories of journeys, his canvases were full of subject matter until about three years ago when he decided to clear the clutter and "started taking things off the canvas, one by one…first the animals, the people and so on till I even took the water off and then I was left with just the sky".

At the exhibition of his paintings at the Paradise Road Galleries from August 25 to September 15, only two paintings done by him while in Sri Lanka will be on display (Venus A Rendezvous Avec Mars and Mars A Rendezvous Avec Venus) while the rest are all from the pre-Sri Lanka era including the last two paintings done in Europe (Le Voile De La Mariee).

"The sky is not just blue and white. It has no limits, no boundaries; colours are not separated from each other. It's at the border of configuration and abstract," he says explaining his present choice of subject matter. "You can see anything you want to see in the sky-an elephant, a lover," he cheekily adds while explaining that Sri Lanka has always held a special spot in his heart. “I always had good memories of Sri Lanka." Since 1983 he has been here a few times to spend time alone to get away from everything, before finally setting roots here 13 months ago.

Based in Negombo at the famous Geoffrey Bawa creation, Blue Lagoon, the former hotel's restaurant is Eric's studio, -just one wall and a large space with windows all around. He laughingly refers to his two lazy sons, and two Christmases spent in jail for drunk driving- " couldn't see the sky there, just walls."

"The sky makes you dream, helps you escape real life and that's what I want to do. It's something that's always in my mind."

An enchanting celebration by Menaka’s pupils, both young and old
By Marisa de Silva
'Some Enchanted Evening' presented by the students of Menaka de Fonseka Sahabandu, will be held on September 4 and 5, at 7 p.m., at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. The proceeds of this concert will go towards the 'Roshan Wijesooriya Memorial Fund', which is to be used to build an extension to the Paediatric Ward of the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama. Music for such a worthy cause is guaranteed to be 'enchanting', especially as the programme has been arranged to appeal to all types of musical tastes and age groups.

This concert coincides with her 20th year anniversary of teaching music. The concert will feature 'The Menaka Singers', some of her senior piano students and her junior group, totalling about 80 ranging from five to forty plus. The evening's repertoire will feature a range of well-known classical, semi-classical, Broadway, Disney and pop numbers, says Menaka. Classics like 'Un Bel Di' from Madame Butterfly by Puccini and the famous 'Flower Duet' from Lakme by Delibes and a special arrangement of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ' Pie Jesu' being sung by a boy soprano and a soprano, with an all-male backing. The juniors will perform favourites from the musical 'Oliver', whilst popular hits from musicals like 'My Fair Lady', 'South Pacific', Rogers and Hammerstein and 'Grease' will also entertain audiences.

A guest performance by 'the Philharmonia Players (of which Menaka too is a member), a popular string orchestra performing a medley of Broadway hits, is sure to be a highlight of the show. Many of Menaka's old pupils who have either completed their studies abroad or are down on vacation too, will also make a comeback at this concert, said Menaka.

Going back to her roots, Menaka says she owes much of her present success to the late Mrs. Mary Billimoria, who asked her to come help her teach at the 'Pestonjee Studio'. Getting her initial teaching experience there, she had acquired a wealth of knowledge and 'know how' from Mrs. Billimoria, she said. Mrs. Irene Hunter, her first singing and piano teacher, once learning of her intent to pursue music, directed her towards Mrs. Billimoria for piano and Ms. Christine Perera for singing.

Indu Dharmasena will handle lights and choreography for this concert whilst music accompaniment will be provided by Thushani Jayawardana and Ajith Kodikara on violin, Sureka Amerasinghe on the flute, Dilrukshi Wiratunge and Prajapa de Silva on cello, Maxie Pietersz on double bass, Shem Darius on drums and Dilan Angunawela and Menaka on piano.

Dhanushka’s shadows in the dark
But once again I find myself scrawling in the darkest hour,
Because I much prefer it to the light that destroys and denies these dreams.
Once again I fall back unto these shadows so full and deep,
So I'll sing with you and dance through all the shadows of the night
and move with you gently in the hidden folds of midnight....

Every night I'm running frightened like a little child,
away from all these shadows,
every night I'm running, screaming like an animal in pain.

away from all the shadows till I'm feeling once again.
Dhanushka Amarasekera's exhibition of black and white photographs taking viewers through a world of shadows, will be on at the Barefoot Gallery from September 2-19.

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