Priyadarshani Tennakoon makes richly textured abstract paintings where imagination and nature meet, and the reading is left open to the viewer.

Each work begins with texture. Molding paste is laid down as a foundation and blended with color for depth, worked in its semi-fluid state into patterns and shapes, then finished with poured liquid paint. She works primarily with a palette knife and acrylic, chosen for its versatility, and experiments with tools of her own, including banyan tree prop roots dipped in paint, to draw out textures and forms a brush cannot reach.

The paintings move between abstraction, surrealism, and naturalism, blurring the lines between them. Serene hues settle into heavily worked surfaces, so each piece rewards both close looking and quiet distance, and what a viewer finds there remains their own.

Tennakoon began her creative path in 2010 with hand-painted greeting cards, and is the founder of Anuhasa, which grew from cards, handcrafted florals, and wall hangings into a dedicated painting practice. Her debut solo exhibition, To Wait for What Appears, opens at the Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo, in August 2026.