Never too late

Discovering his talent after retirement Yaswant Amaratunga reflects the layers of his life in art

By Ursula Gonsalves

Entering the Harold Peiris Art Gallery was a spellbinding experience, trying to take in the wonderful and unique arts and crafts that were on display. Content at the outcome of his debut exhibition, Yaswant Amaratunga gave me some much needed insight to his work.
A chartered Civil Engineer by profession, Yaswant stressed that he had an amazing career. “I enjoyed my work. That is why I pursued a career in Engineering, because I liked what I did. It took me everywhere, from Sri Lanka, to UK, and even Australia. I enjoyed it while it lasted”, he smiled.
Yaswant confesses he always had a love for art, even as a child. “Maybe I didn’t quite realise it, but I was creative in my own way. I guess all that took a backseat when I became serious about my studies and my career.” His chance to look back on his childhood passion came in the form of a hobby once he retired from his profession. Having ample time to spend on something he cared about ironically enough gave him the opportunity to pursue a career that he never dreamt of. “I honestly don’t know why I chose art as a hobby. After my retirement I had enough time to spare, and I guess at the back of my mind this was something that I wanted to do. It could have been anything else… but this is what I chose. Look where it got me!” he exclaims. So the professional turned into an amateur overnight, and Yaswant started out as a student of the famous artist Sarath Chandrajiva three years ago. Amazingly, all his paintings are so detailed with such finesse of a professional artist. This was where his natural knack and talent for art has come into play. When questioned on who his subjects were for the many portraits he has painted, he simply answered “There were only three or four actual visuals that I looked at. Other than that, everything was a figment of my imagination. Even most of the sceneries you see, it’s just my imagination. I just paint the picture! Some of these paintings were originally meant to be one thing, and ended up as something completely different. So even though the audience only sees one painting, some actually contain two!” Yaswant certainly has the artist's soul because while he waxed eloquent over his creations he refused to be photographed.
What I thoroughly enjoyed about this exhibition was that there were so many forms of craftsmanship included. There was art using acrylic on canvas as well as watercolours. There were terracotta and ceramic sculptures. There were also glass carvings of portraits! Apart from this, what captured my eye was the bonded glass creations Yaswant had on display. These exhibits contained several pieces of precisely carved glass, glued together to bring out an entirely different creation. “This takes precision as well as patience. I take each piece of glass and carve out the exact image I want. Then I cut the glass using tools that jewellery cutters use. This is probably the most unique thing I have to offer.”
Having an engineering background has definitely helped Yaswant to make the transition from statistical data to visual artistry, as proven by his forty-odd creations that were on display. His creations take a different stance from an artist’s viewpoint, simply because of his concentration to detail that he has given his previous profession. The proficiency shows, especially in one of his portraits, aptly named ‘The Jewelled Damsel’.
Yaswant plans on continuing his art, but at a more leisurely pace from here on. “I cant believe I created so much in such a short period of time, but from now on I want to have a gallery at my own home. Maybe then I can invite friends and family over and demonstrate my creations to them. I am very happy to see that my first exhibition was a huge success… So I think a private gallery would suit me better the next time!”