Shanta is a Sri Lankan born British figurative artist who has ived in England since his late teens and in the south of Suffolk since the early 1990s.

His art tries to capture the elusive quality of light and colours in nature. His landscape and marine practice uses oils, watercolours and soft pastels to express his vision. Shanta draws his inspiration from weather and climate experienced in the course of his travels and sailing. He delights in observing the subtle differences in quality that light makes on the atmosphere of spaces and places, whether along the coast of Suffolk, the plains and mountains of Languedoc, his native land of Sri Lanka or the wide expanses of ocean experienced whilst sailing in the Atlantic or Mediterranean seas.

Shanta's practice includes portraiture and life drawings. The love of portraiture dates from his school day's, surreptitiously sketching friends and classmates during lesson-time - often being reprimanded and rewarded with "detention" by the teacher! This practice is mainly executed in graphite and coloured pencil, pen and ink, pastels and oil.

Shanta started his career as an artist late in life, after retiring as an IT and Risk Management Consultant. His original education was in mathematics, finance and IT. He started a Bachelor of Fine Arts at University of Suffolk, having to abandon the course due to life-events. He was awarded a Certificate of Higher Education.

Shanta is a member of the Colchester Arts Society.

• Colchester Arts Society Summer Exhibition, Old Bank Studios Gallery, Harwich ...... Aug 2023
• Colchester Arts Society Winter Exhibition, Minories Gallery, Colchester ...... Nov/Dec 2023