Visakha Wijeyeratne was a Sri Lankan artist, painter, sculptor, writer and social worker.
12 Facts About Visakha Wijeyeratne
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Visakha Wijeyeratne's husband, Tissa Wijeyeratne, was a politician, diplomat, barrister and businessman.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne was born at Sirimedura, Horton Place Colombo 7 to Dr Edmund Ashoka Bulankulame and Ivy Dunuwille Senenayake.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne was the fourth in a family of seven and spent her childhood in Anuradhapura.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne schooled at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya and Newstead Girls College, Negombo.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne followed these areas of study and practice over a period of seven years at the Farm School for girls in Kundasale, the Heywood Institute of Art, at the Alliance Francaise, Goethe Institute and at the Russian Cultural Centre.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne's inspiration was a book by Ananda Coomaraswamy, Medieval Sinhalese Art.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne continued to paint, but had to change to using styles which art buyers preferred.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne made copies of works including the 1815 portrait of Rangamma, a consort of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne was commissioned in 1981 to paint President Junius Richard Jayewardene.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne spent four years in Paris as the wife of the Sri Lankan ambassador, and sold work during that time.
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Visakha Wijeyeratne carried out social work as part of the Inner Wheel Club of Kandy, affiliated to Rotary International.