Mangala's
ballpoint magic
 'Beautiful South' depicting southern scenes to go on
show in Matara on Jan 28, 29 :
Presidential award winning artist, Mangala Madanayake, promises a
novel experience for art lovers, especially those in the South, when his
unusual art goes on display in an exhibition titled 'Beautiful South
2016' at the Old Dutch Building in Nupe, Matara, on January 28 and 29.
In a style that is unique to him, Mangala uses ballpoint pens to
paint pictures that are both surreal and incredibly real. That he often
paints scenes which are familiar and iconic adds a touch of wonder to
his work, making one both eager to simply accept the beautifully
evocative paintings for what they are and to dig deep and find just how
he wields the ballpoint to get the paradoxical effect. Mangala, who
exaggeratedly identifies himself as the person who introduced the
ballpoint colour art to the world, says he uses different coloured
ballpoint pens, especially blue, green, black, brown and red and gets
the shades he wants by drawing over the lines in different colours until
he achieves the required shades.
"By this method I can paint just as you paint using oil paints and
water colours mediums," he says, adding that if one, unaware of the
medium, looks at the paintings, he or she would automatically assume it
is water colour or oil paintings. "They look the same as water colour or
oil paintings," he says.
 In
the 'Beautiful South' Mangala, does not want to limit himself to just
ballpoint pen paintings and plans to have on display more than 60
paintings done in water colour, acrylic and oil, media that he also
enjoys working in.
By displaying paintings done in all four media in one hall, he hopes
to give art lovers an opportunity to experience and even compare the
traditional media with the ballpoint medium. "This will prove that
ballpoint pen art is equal to the traditional media and art lovers will
be able to experience that what the brush can do the ballpoint can do
equally well," he says with pride.
Though the ballpoint pens since its invention and subsequent
proliferation in the mid-20th Century, have proven to be a versatile art
medium for professional artists as well as amateur doodlers, its values
as a sole painting medium emerged in more recent times, with a number of
contemporary artists gaining recognition for their specific use of
ballpoint pens; for their technical proficiency, imagination and
innovation.
Dubbed by American artist Lennie Mace, now living in Japan, as 'PENtings',
many of the artists use a wide range of available ballpoint ink colours
to create photorealist ballpoint drawings.
There is no gainsaying that Mangala's ballpoint pen renditions are
photorealistic.
From scenes of the Galle Fort, to way side tea kiosks, sunny and
rustic village scenes, they reflect an earthy reality that is both
charming and captivating.
 "The
theme of my art for this exhibition is the Southern Province, which
depicts the sea shore, old buildings and folk life. I have created these
painting using the ballpoint pen, oil and water colours and acrylic on
paper and canvass," he says, adding that he has also allowed his
imagination to run riot for this exhibition.
"I have imagined a village scene about 200 years ago, and have
depicted it on canvas using the acrylic medium," he says, explaining
that it took him one month to complete this 4'X3' drawing.
The scenes showcase in vivid reality tea kiosks in the village along
with paddy fields, bullock carts, temple, the village tank the dagoba,
bamboo trees, boats, low lying hills, buffaloes, the village monk, the
native doctor, people fishing in the tank, pingo carrier, 'watti ammas,
people playing draughts in the tea shop and birds flying above the paddy
fields
Mangala has won several awards at national level for his innovative
paintings
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