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| Sunday, 16 February 2003 |
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Compiled by Farah Macan Markar
"Line Drawings" an exhibition of art presented by Ruwan Tharaswin, will see various creations coming to life with the use of a few lines, highlighted with a dab of colour here and there. An exhibition of 84 pictures to be held at the Lionel Wendt from the 21st to the 23rd of this month, the pictures to be on display range from the abstract, the impossible to real life characters. The characters themselves are very Sri Lankan and have the essence of the rural. Farmers, traders, pilgrims and musicians are some of those who walk the frames. An old boy of Ananda College, Tharaswin began his passion for art from Kindergarden drawing colourful trees, mountains, seas and animals. Being left to do it very much on his own, he became a self taught artist, winning every award in his school from primary to A/Levels. In 1970 and 1971 he was the award winner of the Oriental Art (Open Competition) at Ananda College.
While a student at school Tharaswin would also work in the evenings, contributing illustrations for the 'Sathuta' (subsequently 'Madhura') paper. "I would be wearing my white school uniform and black shoes, carrying my school books in hand, my rotarite pen which I use for my drawings in my pocket and come to work as soon as school was over" Ruwan recalls of the old days. Thus working after school until evening Ruwan earned what he calls today his "Pocket Money". "It was lovely earning my own money so young. It made me feel independent and important. With that money I would buy myself all my art things, a new shirt, a pair of shoes and ice-creams", he says.
After working one and a half years he went into drawing pocket cartoons, for the 'Silumina', 'Tharuni', 'Sarasawi', 'Satmag' and 'Varamanjari'. Having drawn cartoons of life in general here, he later went into drawing international political cartoons for the 'Daily News' winning many international awards along the way. Of the oncoming exhibition Tharaswin says, "It is a water colour-line drawing exhibition. I have kept a lot of spaces white, drawing my pictures with the use of two, sometimes three or four lines at most, brushing them a little with a few light colours". With a passion for light colours he loves white, light pink, light yellow and light blue and green. "I don't like using dark colours. I find light colours pleasing to the eye. They create a lot of beauty in my paintings. Art to me is something that should be appealing and beautiful to the beholder and create peace in the human mind", he says. Tharaswin works as an artist for the Dinamina features. |
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