Suriyasena brings Melted Expressions of Color

Eric Suriyasena is one of Sri Lanka’s leading artists in the Batik industry. For almost a half century, he has adapted the traditional and very ancient craft of dyeing on cloth using a wax resist method and pioneered the use of the Batik medium as a new form of Fine Art.

Eric Suriyasena unfurls his creative streak. Pictures by Sulochana Gamage

From his young days he was gifted with an artistic talent. He loved painting and designing as a small child. He first joined the School of Fine Arts. He started batik as an artist and went to Indonesia and Malaysia and learned the technique of designing batiks. Then he followed a course in dying and printing in Germany and later mastered the art in Japan.

The Batik process is time consuming, and if you ever step in to his studio, you will find this artist leaning over a tautly drawn cloth, carefully setting his design in place. Manipulating two mediums, melted wax and dye, he produces layers and textures with infinite patience. His mastery of this novel art form has enabled Suriyasena to express the spirit and rich cultural heritage of the beautiful island of Sri Lanka.

Suriyasena is recognized as the pioneer and premier exponent of Batik painting and design. The artist developed new techniques that would revolutionize the art of Batik painting. Using the same traditional materials of water-based dyes, wax and fabric that were used in the past, Suriyasena applied the colors in reverse order. Starting with darker hues and ending with lighter ones.

Instead of using dyes in full strength by merely dipping the fabric in them, he controlled the gradual dilution of the same dyes and applied them to the fabric with the use of a paintbrush. This revolutionary approach allowed Suriyasena to create detailed, refined images with dramatically enhanced tonality, shading, and depth.

He has showcased his Batik masterpieces in leading galleries, and has participated in multiple art exhibitions all over the world. His novel creations have earned him accolades from art lovers from all parts of the globe.

His hand-made exotic batiks made headway to foreign markets. Suriyasena’s art glows with a radiance, showing a mastery of colors in his Batiks and communicating the joy in life. Creativity is very evident in the Batik works he produces. With his sympathetic eyes and the sureness of an artist’s hand, he has captured the elegance of Sri Lankan life, predominantly using the culture and the country’s people as his subjects.

Suriyasena’s themes are warm and simple and his art in the Batik medium gives fresh essence and quality to the unique island scene. His colors blend perfectly into the compositions, bathing the figures in exotic hues.

Yet, he executes these exaggerated figures with a style distinctively his own, enticing the viewer to escape into his world of imagination. Suriyasena’s paintings express his delight in natural, unsophisticated beauty, his compassion for humanity being presented in a style that is both distinctively his own and yet at the same time reflecting the vibrant spirit of the beautiful island of Sri Lanka.

“Batik is part of our heritage, it is a beautiful tradition that needs to be kept alive in our country, and shared with the world,” states Suriyasena.

Melted Expressions of Color Suriyasena Batiks exhibition will be held at the Harold Peiris Gallery, Lionel Wendt, Colombo 7, on February 16 and 17 from 10.30 am to 7 pm. The opening ceremony of the event will be held on February 15 at 5 pm.