Oil paint, 11” x 14”

Artist Statement 

This piece was inspired by a recent summer vacation I went on with my family to Sri Lanka, as the name the piece suggests. It was the first time in 30 years that my parents had visited their home country, and the first time I had visited. The trip mainly consisted of visiting the old houses my parents used to live in and spending time with family and friends they had not connected with in years. While I couldn’t feel the same emotions they went through while reconnecting with their family or reminiscing the memories of their childhood, I was very happy to spend time with them and meet the people and places who shaped their upbringing.

In addition to visiting family, we tried to squeeze in more touristy activities as well. This specific image of monkeys that my painting is based on was taken during the second half of our trip while we hiked Sigiriya, a rock fortress near Dambulla. As we climbed the metal stairs around the edges, I would hear my mother reminding us (but most likely herself) not to look down, and the camera shutters from my father taking pictures without a hand on the railing. Despite our fears, we made it to the top of the fortress. While filming the view of the forest below, I saw the family of monkeys perched on the stone ledge, the babies barely in sight. The picture of these monkeys was initially lost in the sea of my camera roll, but it was one of the most memorable pictures I had from that month. I wanted to paint something to memorialize this special trip, and I knew this was the perfect one.