While most people were glued to the television screen, Rudrani Devi Das and Chris Tilaka-Sri Dharmakirti were painting furiously. “We just wanted to have our own fun,” says Chris, explaining that the two have created over 140 images of cricketers over the course of four months. Made for most part using digital painting software, the set features not only some of Sri Lanka’s best known cricketers but a number of foreign players as well.
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| Rudrani Devi Das |
Chris Dharmakirti |
Ian Botham is in there, his arcing bat connecting with a ball so hard that it appears to explode, and so is Sachin Tendulkar, who is somewhat bewilderingly surrounded by sheep. But Chris says the painting is actually a visual interpretation of the idea that when Sachin is batting, his opponents come like lambs to the slaughter.
There are other unusual pairings in the paintings: umpire Billy ‘Hook’ Bowden is shown with a cartoon Captain Hook prancing on his knee, Shane Warne is seen tossing a fishing net that encircles his opponents and in yet another, Murali’s arm morphs into a tornado, a tribute to the unpredictability and power of his bowling style, says Chris. Several paintings are of Lasith Malinga – whom the artist describes as “the most charismatic figure on the field right now.”
At the time of the World Cup, the duo had completed about 50 paintings. “Then we said, let’s hit a century,” explains Chris, adding, “sometimes, you get into a rut when you’re attempting a collection...but cricket had so much to inspire us.”
Though the artists have very distinct styles, the two have collaborated on a number of paintings, each adding an element or two. For most part, they have used photographs as references, and that contributes to a sense of immediate familiarity with some of the images. Their intention is to create a book out of this, and they welcome other artists who might have worked on the same subject matter. Five pieces have been selected to make the transition into large, traditional paintings and these will be handed over to Muttiah Muralitharan’s Foundation of Goodness where they will be auctioned off for charity. The two artists hope to make similar contributions to other charities as well.
The paintings can be found online at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/cricket-art-gallery.html.
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