Joanna’s ‘Point Of View’

Following are excerpts of an interview with Joanna Adams Jayawardana, whose exhibition titled ‘Point Of View’ – an interpretation of tribal portrait modern art and how tribal people connect with nature, life, beliefs, etc., full of colour and with each painting having its own story – was held at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery on 16 and 17 March

Q: Have you organised any other art exhibitions?

A: The first exhibition was in 2002, at the Lionel Wendt Gallery titled ‘Rush Of Colours,’ which showcased over 85 different paintings

Q: What made you think about art?

A: I’m known for my compeering but I think it comes as a surprise to many when I say that I draw. I’ve loved drawing since I was a little girl and my mom saw that I had a talent for it so I used to take up art classes after school as well. I studied art with Priyanthi Wijeratne who was a wonderful teacher and mentor and also took part in art exhibitions done by her as well as the ones held when I was in school by the teen art club which I was a member of during my senior years.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Life and its experiences is what inspire me. Being able to translate a feeling, an emotion or an experience through art in your own unique way is something wonderful. I have been inspired by many different artists; Senaka Senanayake, Marie Alles Fernando just to name two who are well known in Sri Lanka. I also like the work of Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Salvador Dali and Johannes Vermeer but I always loved Picasso, I find his work the most inspiring.

Q: What mode of art do you love the most?

A: I like working with both oil and acrylics but I also like to experiment with other things like saw dust, recycled bits and pieces and black and white newspaper, I like the way it ages and changes shade over time taking that antique faded look

Q: What made you think about an exhibition?

A: I wanted to do one for some time. My first exhibition was brought to life because of my mom who got everything done for me. Losing her, I lost the feel and the inspiration to paint for a while, then work got in the way, finally last year I just felt I wanted to try out my new style of art, so I decided to take on my second exhibition and hope to continue it every two years at the Lionel Wendt as I find it a fantastic location. At my first exhibition I painted everything from scenic to portrait and more, but now I’ve found my own style, my signature as an artist.

Pix by Shehan Gunasekara