Dorothy Fernando Explained

Dorothy Fernando
Birth Name:Dorothy Dias
Birth Date:18 September 1907
Birth Place:Panadura

Dorothy Fernando (; 18 September 1907 – 1981)[1] was a Sri Lankan painter.

Early life

Dorothy Dias was born in Panadura.[2] She grew up in Colombo with her conservative parents. She studied at Bishop's College in Colombo and Malvern Girls College in the United Kingdom. In her late teens, she pursued her interest in painting and nature in defiance of her father's wishes.[3]

Career

Fernando became a member of the Ceylon Social Service League, running a sewing school for underprivileged girls for several years. She developed her watercolour painting technique while illustrating the country's indigenous orchids for her brother-in-law Ernest Zoysa.

Fernando travelled during the 1940s, collecting and painting wildflowers. She eventually published a book titled Wildflowers of Ceylon in England in 1954.

Personal life

Dias married Cyril Fernando, who became one of Sri Lanka's most prominent physicians. They had four children. Cyril died in 1955.

Fernando died in 1981 while preparing for her third exhibition.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: September 23, 2007 . Free-spirited as a wild flower . 2024-03-24 . . 2023-01-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230105111450/https://www.sundaytimes.lk/070923/Plus/plus00014.html . live .
  2. Web site: 18 October 2015 . Pioneering work of art and knowledge . 2024-03-24 . . 2024-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240324102040/https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2015/10/18/spe-the-04.asp . live .
  3. Web site: Bringing back the blooms . 2024-03-24 . . 2023-01-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130021859/https://www.sundaytimes.lk/140330/plus/bringing-back-the-blooms-90478.html . live .