Written by It is always a joy to breathe with nature. Through my artworks, I try to be with nature. It matters to me. It can be realistic scenery, realistic still life or creatures, or semi-abstracted close-up of nature. Most subjects I select from nature are isolated dreamy things which I love to see, feel or live with. When I finish a painting, I feel I owned that moment forever that I lived.
I use a minimal number of colors most of the time, so I can paint my imagination. Sometimes those create an unconscious part of my imagination and connect me to what I really wanted to feel.
My favorite paper is Arches, 100% cotton of the brand and I like Fabriano paper too. I use Winsor & Newton colors which have the color tones I love. Further, the techniques can vary depending on the painting, though I love to work wet-on-wet, which creates amazing blends. Some of my paintings are from a photo reference; some are just an imaginative combination of what I have seen.
I sketch on the paper first and think where I should start, what should be the thinnest layer. And then I start painting, sometimes I skip some parts of my first sketch and let the color do as it wants.
I was born and raised in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and currently live in Shawnee Kansas, USA since 2016. I worked as a Human Resource Management professional. Painting is my lifetime hobby and I have studied art from professional artists in Sri Lanka. I have also joined with group exhibitions when I was in Sri Lanka. Although, I could say I got a fresh start after I came to the USA and watercolor became my major interest. I miss my country, but sometimes the new home encouraged me to think new.
Many artists and situations inspire me to live with watercolor. There are many contemporary artists who gave me the strength to work with watercolor. The identical styles and sense made it easy to paint. Moreover, I love to read classical novels and watch classical movies. I love classical music.
I love to write about art, artists and romance. I like to read about the biographies of artists (well, Georgia O’keeffe is my favorite artist ever). I love to travel to nature. I search and study any piece of watercolor I love on the internet and social media. I think all of these inspire me to paint. I always gather something from them to add to my paintings.
There is something important I want to add. I started working with watercolor since 2015. Some said it’s a hard medium. And I too found it was a hard medium to work with at first. But I say it’s the most wonderful medium for me now. I had to have patience. I had to wait. I had to be quick to get the effects. I had to think when / where / what quantity of water I must use. I had to practice a lot and learn to control it. Now it creates what I love, controlling each other.
I encourage anyone to work with watercolor. It’s an amazing medium. It will be hard at first but when you get used to it by trying different techniques / papers / colors, you will love it!
Nimesha Udani
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Your paintings are lovely. Thank you for sharing them here.
Nimesha, your paintings are wonderful. They certainly reflect your passion. Thank you for sharing your talent and thoughts with us today.
Nimesha, your art is indeed dreamy and magical. The moment I saw the painting at the top of this post, I just stopped breathing for a moment and stared and enjoyed it. The idea of owning a moment when you paint it – that is very true. It is absolutely yours because even if someone else paints exactly the same scene, it will be a different painting. Each is infused with the artist’s soul.
Nice portfolio – would do a like but the option never stops loading
I like the way you use a range of tonal values in one color.