Differently-abled students show their creativity

Published On The Sunday Timesm(SL) July 18, 2010
By Afra Naufel and Azra Ameen

Each item was a little masterpiece. They had all been created with great effort and care by a special child. The colourful paintings hanging on the walls had a message to the world, that said- "Yes, we can do it too."
The students of 'The Colombo Centre for Special Education' displayed their talents in different forms, on July 14 at the Lionel Wendt gallery. The exhibition was titled 'Expressions 2010'.

The expressions came in a wide array: paintings, collages, wall hangings, hand made wrapping paper, greeting cards, wooden items, embossed work, serviettes and dish towels. The items were available for sale at a bargain price.

Preparation for the exhibition started in January. Attention was given to bringing out the abilities of each student, said their art teacher, Anusha De Silva who explained that they created collages by blending colours using old magazines and the students even made the tassels of the wall hangings.

The aim of such an exhibition was to encourage the students. "They love seeing their work displayed," said the centre's executive director Charika Muttiah, who said it would help bring in funding for these students.
The 28 mentally-disadvantaged male students who are above the age of 18 are supported by the teachers and volunteers with much care. The teachers have a gift themselves- they need special qualities to deal with the differently abled. "What's special about these children is that they do not know how to keep a grudges or take revenge. That's a beautiful trait in them and it's easy to work with them," said Anusha.Expression 2010 was a success and it was a joy to see the smiling bright faces behind the work.






Link : http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100718/Plus/plus_25.html

Painting the Good Truth

Published On The Sunday Timesm(SL) July 18, 2010

By Afra Naufel and Azra Ameen

“Inspired by sources both in and around me, my soul’s eye paints fleeting illustrations, lasting as long and as steady as clouds in an open sky. These momentary pieces, more often than not, in striking shades of black and white, are soon transformed into work that is visible to the human eye.” This is how Rochelle Motha, the artist behind the 32 paintings of “Good Truth” on display on the walls of the Barefoot Gallery, sees her first ever solo art exhibition.
A past student of Good Shepherd Convent Kotahena, Rochelle began taking lessons with Mrs. Gothami Seneviratne when she was 14. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, India, and is now back in Sri Lanka from the UK.

Rochelle says she is inspired by Van Gogh’s use of colour and Rodin’s work for the purity of the human form. Sri Lankan people, reading and writing, that she has come into contact with in the recent past, all serve to fuel her art. “The display is all about painful poetry,” said Rochelle. “I used typography in my art because I believe that visuals are strong but words are stronger.”

“There is ultimately no such thing as good art or bad art-but merely a level of honesty and forthrightness that makes art truly inspirational or at its worst, memorably bad,” says the young artist. Her work will be on display until July 25.



link : http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100718/Plus/plus_13.html

Sunethra Karunanayake wins Sunsilk Hadakari 2009

- My Article that was published on the Sunday Times (SL) on 2010-07-09 13:07:57
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By Afra Naufel and Azra Ameen

Pix by J. Weerasekara

The finals of Sunsilk Hadakari 2009 held on July 6 at the Hotel Galadari saw Sunethra Karunanayake of Ratnapura being chosen as the winner with Pushpa Siri Prasadh from Panadura as the first runner-up and Madushan Kumarasingha from Kegalle emerging the second runner-up.

The three winners received a scholarship from the Sunsilk Ramani Fernando Hair Academy worth Rs. 100,000 each. The contest was worked off in Matara, Anuradhapura, Negombo and Kandy, selecting 52 contestants from the beauty industry Together with the Professional Hair Dressers and Beauticians Associations Sri Lanka (PHABA), Unilever also launched its “Sri Lankan Hair Expert 2010”, with Sunsilk brand manager Ms. Dilini Dahanayake announcing the details of the regional events scheduled to take place this year.

The campaign is expected to be carried out in the Southern, North, East, Uva and the Central provinces. “This year’s event will focus on taking the expertise of Sunsilk along with its new partnerships with globally renowned hair experts to the heart of Sri Lanka,” said Ms. Dahanayake.

The Hair Expert 2010 campaign is conducted through various workshops to educate women on the benefit of using specialized hair care products.

Workshops and competitions will be held in these areas and the ten most outstanding contestants would receive valuable gifts, with the top three recieving scholarships from the Sunsilk Ramani Fernando Hair Academy.






link : http://sundaytimes.lk/featurenews/articleXYZ100000010.php?id=160