Tharanga Herath is a Sri Lankan wildlife artist who started his painting career at an early stage of his life. He is a great enthusiast in wildlife and his art was highly influenced by his passion and his great love towards natural environment. He is a self-taught artist who improved himself through his knowledge gained through his studies, observations and research on both fauna as well as art. Since wildlife art is totally a blend of scientific and field knowledge of the subject and artistic skills, Tharanga deserved to be a wildlife artist.

Tharanga is an internationally recognized wildlife artist who displays his paintings overseas, and who has been accepting both international and local commissioning.

Following his passion Tharanga has been a professional in the birding and wildlife segment of tourism industry who is an acclaimed field ornithologist. Qualified as a graduate in fisheries and marine Science, he has been engaged in marine environment and wildlife conservation projects & research.  He served as the Secretary of Sri Lanka Turtle Conservation Project, which was a project partner of UNEP/GEF Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project that was conducted in 8 Asia- pacific countries in 2014/2017.

Tharanga volunteers in creating awareness on wildlife and its conservation through lectures, workshops and field trips to various communities and organizations including government institutions. He is an instructor of the Young Zoologists’ Association of Sri Lanka and an active member of Ceylon Bird Club, which is the foremost authority dedicated for the birdlife of Sri Lanka.

All these professional and volunteer engagements provide Tharanga additional opportunities of encounters of subjects he paints. For his paintings he dedicates time and puts great efforts in studying further about the subjects of the painting through field studies as well as literature, prior to the beginning of a painting.

Hence, a painting of Tharanga is a scientifically accurate depiction of realism blended with his artistic skills and which speaks about his expertise, experience as well as his love, affection and passion towards the subject.

“ I first met Tharanga Herath when I was a participant on a Sri Lanka bird tour, of which he was a co-leader.  His exceptional ability at locating birds was immediately apparent, as was his broad knowledge and enthusiasm for all aspects of Sri Lankan natural history.   At one point on the tour he quite modestly showed us some of his bird paintings that had been on display at a fine resort hotel.  These were the few unsold items remaining from an exhibition of his work, and he was taking them back home.  Although they were relatively early works, I was nonetheless amazed by their great beauty, and astounded when I learned he was self-taught.  Several of the birds we saw on the tour ranked high on my list of species I had hoped to have the good fortune to see some day, and at the end of the tour I asked Tharanga for paintings of four of these.  I thought they would make ideal reminders of some outstanding encounters with wonderful birds, and would bring life to my little windowless office.  The paintings I received were breathtaking; not only were the birds rendered in precise and magnificent detail, but the accuracy with which their settings were done was superb as well.  In my opinion his work is a stellar example of the finest form of nature art, with exquisitely painted birds just full of life, situated in natural settings remarkably evocative of their atmosphere, each work in its entirety testifying to the artist’s obvious love of his subjects.  I have since been unable to resist acquiring several more of his paintings in various media, which now grace not only my office, but the walls of my home as well.  Tharanga’s paintings provide a delightful means for uplifting one’s spirits and recalling exceptional  moments in the field – as well as for providing hope for exciting experiences yet to come.”

Frank G. Witebsky (MD)
1300 Alderton Lane, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA