Meet Leilani: Atmospheric Landscape Painter in Oxfordshire
“What I create comes from within—a visual prayer of peace, beauty and hope”.
Roots in Colour and Music
I was born on the sunny island ofSri Lanka,surrounded by vivid colour, radiant light and lush natural beauty. From a young age, I played the piano,guitar and piano accordion—music became my first language of expression.
At school, however, I was placed in the science stream, where painting wasn’t part of the curriculum. My father believed women shouldn’t pursue higher education or careers, which limited the professional opportunities open to me. Art, however, remained an important part of my life, and I continued to pursue it in my own way.
Years later, living for a time in Brunei, on the island of Borneo, I found myself once again surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty. Lush rainforests, azure waters, vibrant colour,shifting light and quiet stillness left impressions that continue to find their way into my paintings today.
First Steps as an Artist
After leaving school, I joined an art group and discovered a love for painting. Before long, the French Cultural Embassy sponsored my first solo exhibition at the Lionel Wendt Gallery in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Life changed quickly after that. I married and moved to the UK while my husband pursued his postgraduate studies, and our first child was born. A few months later, I returned to Sri Lanka with my baby to be near my family while my husband completed his studies.
What had begun as an exciting artistic journey was gradually overtaken by family life and responsibility. Painting would have to wait — although the desire to create never entirely disappeared.
My first solo exhibition, Lionel Wendt Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
A Life Interrupted
In 1983, civil unrest tore through Sri Lanka. My infant son and I fled with little more than the clothes we were wearing and were forced to return to the UK. The experience of sudden loss and displacement left a lasting impression — one that continues to echo quietly in my work.
In the years that followed, my husband’s work took our family between countries, including Germany and Brunei, with periods back in the UK. Each move meant adapting to a different culture, language and way of life. There was much that was enriching, but also long periods of isolation and the challenge of continually beginning again.
When our two sons were still young, they went to boarding school in the UK while we were living overseas. Being separated from them was deeply difficult, and I needed to remain free to travel back and forth. Family came first, and for many years there was little space for an artistic life of my own.
“I didn't return to painting as the artist I had been. I returned carrying everything life had taught me”.
Returning to My Voice
An earlier painting, created
while living in Brunei
Exhibiting at Langford
Arts Festival
It was through faith, the encouragement of friends, and the quiet persistence of my own inner voice that I eventually found the courage to begin again. By then, I was very aware that I had more years behind me than ahead of me, and I wondered whether I was too old to pursue a career in art.
But the desire to paint had never left me. I began again slowly, overcoming my uncertainty and learning to trust my instincts. What I had once seen as lost years gradually became something else: a lifetime of experiences I could bring to my work. I came to understand that it was not too late to begin again, and that age did not have to determine what was still possible.
As I continued painting, I found myself working with greater freedom and authenticity. Rather than beginning with a fixed message, I allow each painting to evolve through colour, texture and atmosphere, leaving space for viewers to bring their own stories, memories and imagination to what they see.
I am continually fascinated by the different emotions and meanings people discover in my work — sometimes seeing something I had never consciously intended. That exchange between painting and viewer has become an important part of what I create.
Painting was no longer simply something I had returned to. It had become a way of giving form to everything life had taught me — about darkness and light, loss and renewal, stillness and hope.
Art as a Spiritual Language
For me, painting is deeply connected to both music and faith. My work often moves between abstraction and reality, seeking to express not simply what is seen, but what is felt — stillness, mystery, spirituality and quiet wonder.
Through colour, light and atmosphere, I hope to create a sense of peace and beauty, while leaving space for something deeper and more personal to emerge.
A Space for You
My paintings are not fixed in meaning. They are open invitations to bring your own stories, memories and imagination to what you see.
What others discover in my work often surprises me. It reminds me that a painting can become something different for each person who encounters it — a place for reflection, memory or simply a moment of stillness.
I hope my paintings bring beauty, peace and connection into the spaces they inhabit, while leaving room for you to find something within them that is entirely your own.
Art, Community & Connection
Being part of an artistic community has become an important part of my journey. I am a member of West Ox Arts and The Abingdon Artists, where I served as Co-chair for three years. The friendships, encouragement and shared experiences I have found through these groups have strengthened both my confidence and my artistic practice.
Whether through exhibiting, exchanging ideas with other artists or sharing my work with viewers, I value the connections that art can create between people.
LET’S STAY CONNECTED
If my journey and my work resonate with you, I’d love to share occasional glimpses from the studio — new work taking shape, reflections on the creative process, and news of upcoming exhibitions.
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I only write when there is something meaningful to share.