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"Recently I have seen lots of really talented Lankans get their due recognition" Shashintha Dilhani[/caption]
Wel Henage Shashintha Dilhani, an art teacher of Nalanda Maha Vidyalaya in Aviththawa, is the Lankan internet’s newest darling, gaining overnight fame and becoming a viral sensation for her most recent artwork: An attempt at illusion art – a 3D drawing of a squirrel which seamlessly blending into its very real background.
Speaking with The Morning Brunch on her inspiration for her fresh take on still paintings, Shashintha shared that she had not come across this particular style of illusion art in Sri Lanka before, and because she has seen a few artists from around the world attempt mind-blowingly beautiful work online, it got her thinking that she too could give it a shot.
The unbelievably realistic squirrel painting that went viral was only Shashintha’s third attempt. She wasn’t too happy with her two previous attempts, she said, sharing that one of the attempts did not quite work out because her chosen location was simply too dynamic for the type of work she was attempting.
“Nature and its elements are not in my control, and by design the painting cannot adapt to its surrounding, so the illusion is shattered and that particular painting was not suitable,” she said, adding that because she draws while using her mobile phone camera as her viewfinder, it was difficult to move to and from the monitor to keep checking if the illusion is still intact. However, the failed attempt did not deter her and she went on to try again.
Letting us in on her journey as an artist and brand new internet sensation, Shashintha said that what led to her perusal of art was when she decided to select it as her aesthetic subject back in Grade 10.
“Up till that point, I actually studied dancing and then in Grade 10, when we had to select aesthetic subjects for O/L’s (Ordinary Level), I decided to select art,” she shared, and since then she has followed the subject, excelling through her Advanced Level (A/L) and higher studies in the Faculty of Visual Arts.
Shashintha shared that it has been an arduous journey pursuing the arts, because in Sri Lanka, up until very recently, there hasn’t been much support or recognition for artistic pursuits. However, she said that she now sees things changing for the better, and society is more receptive to creatives and their work and are able to appreciate art better.
“There is a lot of talent in Sri Lanka, but they tend to not get the recognition they deserve in the island; somehow there is a lack of truly talented folks coming out into the open, but that too is changing, I think, and recently I have seen lots of really talented Lankans get their due recognition,” she said.
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Shashintha working on her attempt at illusion art[/caption]
Considering that she is a teacher by profession, it is glaringly evident that her passion for teaching and sharing knowledge is in no way second to her love for art, as we can see from her YouTube channel “Thought of Art by Shashintha Dilhani”, which has begun to gain massive traction since her recent internet fame. Through this channel, Shashintha shares her knowledge with the world, and she doesn’t hold back in sharing tips, tricks, and new art techniques that her audience too can try out.
Speaking about the motivation behind her continued attempt at sharing knowledge via YouTube, Shashintha shared that she feels as if the technology has been helpful in providing her students a better understanding of her lessons.
“The visual medium is vast in its potential. At times, I make suggestions to my students like extend your arm, close one eye, and try to visualise. However, these are simply words when spoken in a classroom, but when I make the effort to put it into a video, it is a lot clearer.
Shashintha, despite connectivity issues and utilising the handful of resources at her disposal, continues to share the content with hopes that it would help many budding artists out there.
If you pay a visit to the Thought of Art by Shashintha Dilhani channel, you will soon see that Shashintha is certainly not a one-trick pony; she covers a wide range of topics related to art, all structured in easy-to-consume bite-sized lessons. She shares her passion with the world in videos ranging from topics like painting portraits to using charcoal pencils, and even digital painting lessons.
The multifaceted art teacher sets herself apart in sharing all that she knows. It would seem that one of the first things she did upon figuring out how to approach the 3D illusion was to share her attempts with the world. “I think it’s only right that we share what we know so that we can, as a society, grow together,” she shared.
"Recently I have seen lots of really talented Lankans get their due recognition" Shashintha Dilhani[/caption]
Wel Henage Shashintha Dilhani, an art teacher of Nalanda Maha Vidyalaya in Aviththawa, is the Lankan internet’s newest darling, gaining overnight fame and becoming a viral sensation for her most recent artwork: An attempt at illusion art – a 3D drawing of a squirrel which seamlessly blending into its very real background.
Speaking with The Morning Brunch on her inspiration for her fresh take on still paintings, Shashintha shared that she had not come across this particular style of illusion art in Sri Lanka before, and because she has seen a few artists from around the world attempt mind-blowingly beautiful work online, it got her thinking that she too could give it a shot.
The unbelievably realistic squirrel painting that went viral was only Shashintha’s third attempt. She wasn’t too happy with her two previous attempts, she said, sharing that one of the attempts did not quite work out because her chosen location was simply too dynamic for the type of work she was attempting.
“Nature and its elements are not in my control, and by design the painting cannot adapt to its surrounding, so the illusion is shattered and that particular painting was not suitable,” she said, adding that because she draws while using her mobile phone camera as her viewfinder, it was difficult to move to and from the monitor to keep checking if the illusion is still intact. However, the failed attempt did not deter her and she went on to try again.
Letting us in on her journey as an artist and brand new internet sensation, Shashintha said that what led to her perusal of art was when she decided to select it as her aesthetic subject back in Grade 10.
“Up till that point, I actually studied dancing and then in Grade 10, when we had to select aesthetic subjects for O/L’s (Ordinary Level), I decided to select art,” she shared, and since then she has followed the subject, excelling through her Advanced Level (A/L) and higher studies in the Faculty of Visual Arts.
Shashintha shared that it has been an arduous journey pursuing the arts, because in Sri Lanka, up until very recently, there hasn’t been much support or recognition for artistic pursuits. However, she said that she now sees things changing for the better, and society is more receptive to creatives and their work and are able to appreciate art better.
“There is a lot of talent in Sri Lanka, but they tend to not get the recognition they deserve in the island; somehow there is a lack of truly talented folks coming out into the open, but that too is changing, I think, and recently I have seen lots of really talented Lankans get their due recognition,” she said.
[caption id="attachment_115717" align="alignright" width="422"] Shashintha working on her attempt at illusion art[/caption]
Considering that she is a teacher by profession, it is glaringly evident that her passion for teaching and sharing knowledge is in no way second to her love for art, as we can see from her YouTube channel “Thought of Art by Shashintha Dilhani”, which has begun to gain massive traction since her recent internet fame. Through this channel, Shashintha shares her knowledge with the world, and she doesn’t hold back in sharing tips, tricks, and new art techniques that her audience too can try out.
Speaking about the motivation behind her continued attempt at sharing knowledge via YouTube, Shashintha shared that she feels as if the technology has been helpful in providing her students a better understanding of her lessons.
“The visual medium is vast in its potential. At times, I make suggestions to my students like extend your arm, close one eye, and try to visualise. However, these are simply words when spoken in a classroom, but when I make the effort to put it into a video, it is a lot clearer.
Shashintha, despite connectivity issues and utilising the handful of resources at her disposal, continues to share the content with hopes that it would help many budding artists out there.
If you pay a visit to the Thought of Art by Shashintha Dilhani channel, you will soon see that Shashintha is certainly not a one-trick pony; she covers a wide range of topics related to art, all structured in easy-to-consume bite-sized lessons. She shares her passion with the world in videos ranging from topics like painting portraits to using charcoal pencils, and even digital painting lessons.
The multifaceted art teacher sets herself apart in sharing all that she knows. It would seem that one of the first things she did upon figuring out how to approach the 3D illusion was to share her attempts with the world. “I think it’s only right that we share what we know so that we can, as a society, grow together,” she shared.