Dilrukshi Mendis

My work is an expression of how I approach life – with curiosity and wonder. I’ve been drawing painting and writing all my life- my mother recalls me drawing on the floor with chalk when I was perhaps four or five and I remember writing bedtime stories for my younger brother when I was around nine years old. I admire the art of Hiroshige and Hokusai as well as Monet, Van Gogh, Mucha and Toulouse-Lautrec and these influences are apparent in my artwork. I like creating works that are bold yet restrained, dramatic but beautifully simple with a touch of playfulness or whimsy. I’m particularly fond of inks and several of my artworks on paper are ink drawings which have been in some instances coloured in using a very restrained palette. Drawing in ink and letting go of the quest for perfectionism as ink cannot be corrected is liberating. I also love life drawing and find using inks to sketch a life drawing helps me capture the essence of the moment. Enjoy!

I create art because...

I feel driven to. It's a way of looking and recording my experience of the world around me

When you look at my art, the thing I want you to feel is...

a connection and some of the joy i felt when creating it

The thing I most want to say to non-artists is...

art is for everyone

I believe art is an important part of our lives because...

it helps us better understand and appreciate the world we live in