The bright side of life

Preethi Hapuwatte lives in the “now” and knows how to appreciate the good things she has got. “Everything happens for a reason, and probably for the best,” she believes. This is reflected in her latest collection of 18 paintings titled “Sun on Earth” which will be exhibited at the Barefoot Gallery, Colombo from April 4 to 20. Her inspiration comes from what is happening around her, from nature, from people and from the relationship between people and nature. “This exhibition is based on the sun, and the uses we have of it, which we fail to recognize, like when it’s hot, people complain that it’s too hot, but they don’t think about the fact that without the sun we wouldn’t have colour, we wouldn’t have anything,” she says.

Preethi’s work as a jewellery designer for the Barefoot label seems to influence her paintings as well. This is reflected in the intricate designs she weaves into her paintings.

Yet these intricacies do not interfere with the overall simplicity of her work, the basic shapes and colours she works with. Preethi held her first solo exhibition at the Barefoot Gallery in 1994 and has since taken part in many group and solo exhibitions including at venues such as the National Art Gallery, the Hermitage Gallery, Lionel Wendt Gallery and The George Keyt Foundation. She has also worked under commission for Leather Collection and the Millennium Art Collection in Netherlands.

There has been a gradual change in how she uses colour over the years. Her last exhibition titled “Life on Earth” saw more earthy tones contrasted with black and white. This time around she says the colours she has used can be expressed through the word “brightness”, signifying the brightness that is in her life. “This exhibition is also a celebration for our first grandchild Surekha. To me she is like the sunrise.”