Art is a beautiful medium of expression; it is a method of communicating one's deepest feelings when words fail. It is amazing how a brushstroke can turn into a thousand words and can create a beautiful memoir of emotion so close to the heart. Our artist in conversation today is Thilini De Simon, a wonderful artist who creates some of the most exquisite pieces of art which speak more than words.

How long have you been painting?

My happiest memories of childhood are when I was painting, so I could say I have been all my life, but I took up painting full time 3 years ago. My father was always good at drawing, and my mother encouraged and supported me in my artistic journey. I remember being taken to art classes and workshops by my parents and how they taught me to appreciate nature. So, my parents certainly laid the foundation for me to become the artist I am today.

Who are your greatest influencers?

Apart from my parents, renowned artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, David Hockney, Frida Kahlo, Sujeewa Kumari, and Nuwan Nalaka are a few of the many that come to mind.

Did you have a formal education in art and painting or are you self-taught?

I am a product of both, as I am self-taught when I was young, and I followed a diploma course in fine art at the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Art later. I am currently following a master's degree in Fine Art at Kelaniya University, Sri Lanka.

Do you have a particular style? How did you become so passionate about this particular style?

Well, I mostly like to paint using the impasto method where you apply the paint thickly on the canvass and the brush stroke is visible and the mixing of colors mainly takes place on the canvas itself.

What are your other passions other than art? How have these passions contributed you to becoming the artist you are today?

I love nature and traveling, traveling and nature are two of the best ways to observe the world and learn.

Could you walk us through your process? Percentage-wise, how much time do you spend preparing for the painting, and how much time on the actual painting itself? Is preparation an important part of your process?

Preparing for an artwork takes a long time as a topic must be found, the composition must be made and then the drawing of the artwork, personally for me I prefer to do conceptual art, so coming up with a concept or an idea that I want to share with the viewer and how to best portray it takes a fare share of the time.

Are you engaged in new artistic adventures? How is artistic exploration important to you as an artist and to your process? How do you then decide what to incorporate into your style and what to leave as pure fun?

Art to me is an adventure, mixing different media and experimenting with what looks the most appealing or what will carry the message most effectively is creative and a lot of fun.

Was there a particular moment where you could tell that your skills had just crossed over into being an exceptionally good painter instead of a pretty good painter? What did you do to make that leap?

Well, I think it happens to all of us as we practice painting or drawing, daily, similar to everything else in life.

How do you push yourself? Do you set goals for yourself? And if so, what are those goals? Do you think setting goals is important for an artist in his/her artistic journey? If so, why?

Yes, I think setting goals is extremely important as an artist as it then acts as a guide to what I want to achieve in a particular year, so for next October 2023 I am planning an exhibition with a few fellow artists and that would be my goal for 2023

How is your experience working with Aartzy? Do you think it's a useful platform for artists?

Platforms like Aartzy are very helpful to an artist as it helps the artist get his or her work out into the market, help the artist and the work to be seen, and take the pressure off the artist to do the advertising and marketing on their own which leaves so much more time to think, be creative and to make art.

Aartzy (2023)

Thilini de Simon's entore collection can be viewed HERE