People often ask us, "How long does it take to paint an original?" I try to explain 50 years of making a living as an artist, painting 7 days a week 6 to 10 hours a day, traveling to over 55 countries for original and authentic subjects, dreaming the compositions, sketching continuously, a bird life list in the 4000's and possessing a single focus and discipline, that is simply an honor to witness.
Gamini explains that knowing your subjects by heart, from painting them and observing them in the field 1000’s of times builds a confidence upon the canvas. He is always learning every time his brush mixes a new color, corrects a mistake, or he discovers a new way of depicting light and composition; he is allowing both passion and discipline to awaken on his canvas and in his soul.
Gamini on average creates a painting in about a week depending on subject, size and medium used. Oil paintings take a bit longer. Every time he paints he is imparting a piece of his life experiences in the composition. His stories behind the paintings are often as beautiful as the finished painting. When he tells the story of Maya his pet elephant crying when he cried as a child you can’t help but fall helplessly in love with the baby elephant on his canvas.
When Gamini was born a scops owl flew in to the nursery and landed on his crib. This was his first link to nature. As a young boy in boarding school he looked into a raindrop inside an elephant’s ear leaf seeing the colors of the rainbow and nature all around him and his reflection perfectly. As it rolled off the leaf and was absorbed by the earth to nourish a tree he realized what a perfect and complex system nature was. He believed nature had everything figured out, but humans had everything to learn. So he decided nature would be his teacher and the most important influence in his life and began as an artist to first become a student of nature.
What does the dragonfly next to his signature represent? We lost our only daughter Natalie on June 23, 2012 at the age of 22 to an atrial venous malformation, or brain hemorrhage, adding the dragonfly is in loving memory allowing her to live on in his paintings and in all kind acts done in her memory
For over 20 years I have woken up to the next creation upon the easel...when our kids were young running around him playing ninja tag and spies he kept painting, took breaks to coach their soccer games or watch their rugby, tennis, football, kendo, martial arts and always right back to the easel. I think this is one of the greatest lessons he taught us...do what you love...but Do It! Daily with discipline never ever stop! What is your passion something you feel born to do?
As you observe Gamini’s paintings I will share a poem I wrote about him in 1998:
Created by Gamini
Each stroke
Hurried and researched
Each color
Expertly chose 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 signature
Reflecting the beauty that
only his lifetime could create.
~Lisa Ratnavira