Kalapathi Ramani Silva:

Child artist turnseminent painter

No visitor to Colombo can fail to be struck by the diversity of places of worship. In Sri Lanka all the major religions of the world co-exist in harmony. One of the most singular sights presented on approaching Colombo is St. James Church in Modera and the Kaliamma Hindu Kovil. It is in Modera, Merina Ramani Silva was born. Her early education began at St. Jame's Primary School and St. Anthony's Maha Vidyalaya and ended at St. Joseph's Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Grandpass.

The sea near her home and the splendour of the secenic aura became a powerful influence and provided artistic stimulation to her life. As a child she used to run to the beach and draw sketches of animals, birds and faces on the sand.

After coming home they were transferred to the walls at home with charcoal. At St. Anthony's Maha Vidyalaya, her art teacher encouraged and gave more strength to her to reach greater heights.

She joined the Ceylon Society of Arts and followed a three-year course in drawing, painting, and sculpture under the guidance of Kalapathi Sunil Luxshman Perera and Kalapathi Wilfred Deharagoda. She has participated in many exhibitions organised by the Ceylon Society of Arts.

She was a senior artist at the Gorge Keyt Foundation winning many awards. In 1887 a group of art lovers started a society named Coffee Tavern in the heart of Colombo Fort which later grew into be the Ceylon Society of Arts. Ramani became the first woman organising secretary of exhibitions and also worked as a teacher at the same society.

In 1994 she was presented with the National Youth Services Council Award and in 2006 Kalapathi Award by the Ceylon Society of Arts. She has displayed her work in many exhibitions and carried away several prizes and certificates each year. She continues to paint in oil her cynical pictures of human characters with rich, bright colours. She uses strong contrast of light and shadow, deep blue and red strong brilliant purple to create her paintings. And above all many of the figures in her paintings seem to have sprung into life with a single stroke of the brush with a sweeping and impetuous technique. Some of her paintings appear in full light and others painted partly in shadow. She uses deep blue and yellow, for instance the boats at sea and the rubber tappers have been done in subdued colours.

One of Ramani's proudest moments in her life was when the Foreign Affairs Ministry led by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar purchased one of her paintings titled ‘Samadi’ for its permanent collection. She was also one of the judges at the Ceylinco Randaru Children's Art Exhibition.

Her first art exhibition organised by the Ceylon Society of Arts under the presidency of Kalapathi Pulasthi Ediriweera was a tremendous success. At present she works in the Sri Lanka Ports Authority as a Management Assistant while attending to all the activities of the Ceylon Society of Arts. Today she looks back with a sense of satisfaction and pride. Her dream of becoming an internationally acclaimed artist has come true.

Some of her creations