Abstract
W ikllife art is a genre that has been mastered by Gamini Ratnavira. His earliest exposure to wildlife began in his native Sri Lanka when he would duck out of boarding school and find refuge in his country's lush rain forests. In the forest he would sit for hours closely observing and sketching the native animals. He would return to school and share the sketches with his classmates and, as his skill increased, even his teachers were impressed.
In addition to observing the birds and other animals of the Sri Lankan forests, Gamini kept an aviary at home and at one time kept and bred about 600 tropical birds - birds which he was able to observe in great detail.
Garnini's love of birds in particular, also led him to become a keen
bird watcher with a life list of 3,634 (if he hasn't added some while chis was being written).
In short, Gamini's whole life has been a work of practical training resulting in an extraordinarily talented and intuitive wildife artist. And his art has been widely recognised and heartily embraced. Indeed, he has works in numerous museums, public buildings, and private residences. His work has been featured in many magazines and he has illustrated several books. The lists are too long to include here.
Garnini's work is in high demand and brings from $400 to as much as $40,000 per painting. One great blessing is that Gamini Ratnavira will have a display at the upcoming AFA Convention in Tampa, Florida. And as frosting on the cake, Gamini has generously donated a $400 gift certificate for the great AFA Super Raffle to be held at the convention. The gift certificate is to be used toward an original or print of one of Gamini's exquisite works of wildlife art. This is a great opportunity for some lucky soul to take home a painting that will enhance any home. Buy a lot of raffle tickets.