Every Month Alter Ego celebrates a new artist for First Friday. This month we are delighted to welcome Prabhath Asoka Gunawardena from Sri Lak Art. Gunawardena notes:
"From the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, located in the Indian Ocean in south east Asia, I grew up surrounded by vast amounts of nature such as mountains, waterfalls and incredible beaches. With cultural depth and the surrounding paradise, adding to the beauty, tradition, dancing and colors have made marks in developing my art.
"Since I was a very small child, my talent was nurtured by my parents and brother. By doing so they assisted in creating my career as an artist. Their support aided in the development of my passion and allowed me to continue to create paintings. "
A studen of Isipathana College in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Gunawardena's cultural experiences and heritage shine through in his artwork.
After moving to the United States, in 1980’s with my wife to Virginia, I persuaded my passion in art by sharing and creating more work that represents who I am. Soon after migrating to the state of North Carolina I invested more of my time to making my pieces more visible to the community by being part of exhibitions and festivals. Introducing my paintings also helps me develops new techniques in art. Many of my art is inspired by my culture, uses of movement and the vibrancy of all that it holds. "
"I share my art in hopes of inspiring others to appreciate different culture and styles of my work. Thank you for visiting my page, please feel free to comment on any of the work you see."
Gunawardena's pieces will be available to view and purchase the entire month of August. The First Friday event will be August 3rd from 6pm-9pm. See more of Gunawardena's pieces on their website Sri Lak Art.
First Friday, presented by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, showcases the vibrant art and creative community in downtown Raleigh on the first Friday of every month from 6-9 pm. The free public event features a variety of local art galleries and studios, museums and exhibitors that stay open late, put on special events and often offer refreshments. Retailers and restaurants participate by showcasing art, music or offering a First Friday special. First Friday is an annual fee-based membership program for downtown Raleigh storefront art galleries and businesses.