As the World Inspired Landscapes series winds down, about 28 to go, I am definitely running thin on new compositional ideas. Yet each one of these paintings has been an interesting exploration and story to tell. To understand how the world is, the effects of colonialism comes up again and again, before the series I was not aware of how far-reaching it was. In the case of Sri Lanka, it was the East India Trading Company and the British Empire that ruled for a long time. Prior to the British, there was a local medical system known as Ayurveda, it was a complete set of medical teachings that covered everything from how to grow medicinal herbs, how to amputate limbs, and how to diagnose and treat a wide variety of health conditions. An important part of the concept was that the doctor would train from a young age, the student would have to show aptitude, then the doctor would follow the patients for their whole lives. It sounds just like we try to do here in Canada, like, a family doctor. When the British arrived they banned Ayurveda and burned most of the text books, but a few were translated and available to this day on wiki commons where I read through them. Sri Lanka is a lush, tropical island with old volcanic mountains and a variety of foliage. The colour notes I took from the internet included charcoal black, dark green, dark yellow, orange-red, and golden yellow. A subtle orange glow permeates the scene.
World Inspired Landscapes: Sri Lanka, watercolour 7 x 10" hot press, April 2025 (No. 2042b)
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