First Move

BY PRASAD Abu Bakr.

SELF taught artist Tilina Wewagama whose flare for jewellery designing set him off on this recent painting mission has decided to have his first one man exhibition at the gallery owned by the very person who funded him to express his thoughts on canvas. Dienge Galleries is the newest addition to the cluster that is already operating in the metropolis.

Owner Dhammika Gunasekera who is in fact an admirer of fine things in life has opened the gallery to bring together all those things under one roof so that connoisseurs can look at 'objet's de art' during one visit.

"It was Dhammika that first spotted my talent and love for painting and brought along canvas and oil paints for me to go around creating these works," said Thilina with a feeling of admiration for the man who set him along this mission.

As a student at Royal College Thilina had very little feeling for painting though he had the opportunity of associating with two renowned artists at that time. Tilake Abeysinghe who was a close friend of his father's and Senaka Senanayake who was a student at Royal was a source of inspiration even in the later years.

But all this did not hinder Thilina from painting his own style of pictures, without following in others' footsteps and copying them. Thilina added a bit of originality to what he created.

"My paintings are a result of spontaneous thinking," says the artist adding that he always wants to finish his work in one sitting "even though I paint in the medium of oils."

Thilina feels that he will continue to paint as a mode of expression mainly to satisfy his creative outflow. The present collection that the artist has worked upon was almost done towards this exhibition at Dienge Galleries.

The exhibition which opens today (27) runs up to the 30th at this recently opened art gallery which is situated Kithulwatte Road, Colombo 8.