The Hidden Forest Art Gallery
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Gamini Ratnavira was born and raised in tropical Sri Lanka. As a self-taught artist he uses his photographic memory and life experiences to produce vibrant, colorful images of the rain forest flora and fauna, which are complimented with intriguing stories about his work with wildlife and research information about each painting. His paintings reveal his love for art coupled with an unrestrained, lifelong reverence for nature and animals.
After earning unequaled praise in his native land, Gamini moved to the U.S. where he continues a successful art career in Southern California. He is a member of the Society of Animal Artists and Artists for Conservation and has exhibited with Birds in Art and Arts for the Parks top 100 tours, as well as shows across the United States. His work is collected worldwide including 43 paintings in the San Diego Natural History Museum, and many other conservation organizations. He has traveled to over 50 countries researching endangered wildlife everywhere, amassing a life bird list of over 4,000. He illustrated Birds of Sri Lanka and Mammals of Sri Lanka and is currently working on Endemic Birds of Sri Lanka, a coffee table book of Sri Lankan Birds. He has also illustrated 38 official postage stamps for Sri Lanka, where over a third of the land is set aside as natural conservation land.
Gamini lives with his wife Lisa in Fallbrook, CA. They have three adult sons: Neil, Beau and Brooks. They support many conservation projects and Prithipura Infant home in Sri Lanka in honor of their daughter’s memory (Natalie Ann Ratnavira Feb.14, 1990-June 23, 2012). He founded and directed Fallbrook’s nationally acclaimed “Reflections of Nature” wildlife art show.
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Gamini
Each stroke…
Hurried and researched
Each color
Expertly chosen for depth and value
Each paintbrush
Resembling the tools of eons
Each figure
Reflecting triangles of light
Each sunbeam
Catching the spirit of his laughter
Each raindrop
Enveloping the pain of his sorrows
Each eye
Reflecting the souls he has lived amongst
Each leaf
Reflecting nature as it is full of lessons and wisdom
Each masterpiece…each signature…reflecting the beauty
That only his lifetime could create.
~Lisa Warner Albright~
September 1998
All countries & states in color are places Gamini has traveled to for
shows, reference or bird watching.
Sri Lanka, Maldives, Singapore, Uganda,
Bali (Indonesia), Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Tasmania, England, Whales,
Scotland, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Austria, Russia, Bosnia, Serbia, Czech Republic,
Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, E. Germany, W. Germany, South Africa, Mexico, US, Canada,
Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Bermuda, Panama, China, Balkans,
Canary Islands, Spain, Trinidad, Bahamas, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colombia, Andaman Islands
“No Finer Naturalist”
"Gamini's artwork reflects his deep understanding of nature. I know of no finer naturalist."
~Master artist Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen~
“Nature Through His Painting”
"Gamini Ratnavira is one of the most talented wildlife artists I have known. He is a passionate conservationist who shares his love of life and nature through his painting."
~Michael W. Hager, Ph.D. Executive Director, San Diego Natural History Museum~