Kolambage presents mural to Queen Elizabeth
Ruwini Jayawardana
PAINTINGS: The word art in its broadest sense has to do with the
making or doing of almost anything which depends on a degree of personal
skill and talent. Gunasiri Kolambage is a person who mastered both these
qualities to the best of his ability in his chosen field.
 A graduate of the Government College of Fine Arts in 1959, it did not
take him long to set his mark as an art director. Not only did he come
up with a series of top notch awards and prizes in all the competitions
that he took part but he won a tremendous amount of acclaim from the
local scene as well as abroad.
Kolambage is well-known in the local advertising circles as art
director of J. Walter Thompson (Pvt) Ltd., (1963 - 68) and later as
creative director of A.J.N. Seneviratne & Sons Ltd.
He was attached to the Bombay branch of J.W.T. in India where he
specialized in making animated films and later he joined Concept
Communications, Brisbaine, Australia, as art director. He had held a
number of exhibitions in the local scene as well as abroad.
The latest news that has reached our ears claims that during his stay
in England, Kolambage had presented a masterpiece of his work to the
Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation Development Centre, an institute which
promotes equality for disabled people free of charge.
“It is a four feet tall, eight feet wide mural displaying an orchid
flower which is endemic to the Asian region,” Kolambage said. “This is
the time when most plants are in bloom in the U.K. There are many
different kinds of flowers everywhere.
I have been inspired by them and had done a number of new paintings
based on my surroundings.”
The artist returned to his homeland recently after his tour of
England. |
