Article from Ceylon Today (7th June 2025)
By Pavani Premarathne
For a truly talented artist, the size of the canvas is never a limitation. Whether vast or miniature, they create wonders all the same. Ceylon Today spoke with one such gifted artist who has mastered every canvas, beginning with the miniature world of stamp design. He is none other than Pulasthi Ediriweera, who is also a gifted lyricist.
First steps into the world of art
Pulasthi was a creative and artistic child who had a strong passion and admiration for painting. “During my school years, art was my favourite subject. In a time when many did not want their children to pursue art, my father immensely supported me to continue with my interest in art. Whenever I created paintings or any creative piece, my father enthusiastically tried to post them to get published in papers and he always motivated me to engage in more creative work,” Pulasthi mentioned about his support system back at home, where his father greatly motivated him to follow his dreams. He later got the opportunity to attend the Government College of Fine Arts, the Heywood Institute of Aesthetic Studies, where he learned and excelled in the technical aspects of art. Along with the skills acquired and inborn creativity, Pulasthi started his first job as a cartoonist and a layout designer for a newspaper. With the good work he was doing, Pulasthi got a promotion as an Art Director. At the same time, he started helping his wife’s newly opened advertising agency and was unaware of a life-changing offer that was awaiting him. During this time, a campaign was launched in order to upgrade the postal service and Pulasthi supported his wife with drafts and drawings. The unique drawings caught the eye of the then Post Master General Kotakadeniya and Pulasthi was invited to join the Sri Lanka Philatelic Bureau as a stamp designer. In 1998, his first ever stamp, which was designed in commemoration of the centenary of the Young Men’s Buddhist Association (YMBA) was published. Starting from this stamp, his designs have been constantly decorating the miniature canvas of stamps, and now Pulasthi, retired from the advertising industry, works as a freelance artist and designer.
Artistry beyond limits
He is not an artist limited to one or two styles or mediums in paintings. “I experiment with diverse styles and mediums and I never say no to a task given to me, even though it may be challenging. Perhaps, this diversity of styles and my willingness to take over challenges might be the reasons why I have so many stamps designed and published during my journey as a stamp designer,” he shared about his willingness to experiment and to attempt challenging tasks, which has helped him achieve expertise in diverse styles of art.
“Although I don’t have a specific record in my memory about how many stamps I drew during my journey, I believe I have drawn around 200 to 300” Pulasthi mentioned about the massive success of his work as a stamp designer. He also mentioned a few of the memorable and favourite stamps that he designed for the Philatelic Bureau. “In 1997, when I started as a stamp designer, almost all the stamps were printed overseas, although designed locally. In 2002, the Department of Government Printing started implementing stamp printing and I had the luck of designing the first stamp printed locally, which commemorated the 200th Anniversary of The Ceylon Government Gazette”, Pulasthi shared about one of his most significant milestones of the journey as a stamp designer. Following this great milestone, he designed the first ever circular-shaped stamp, which was published in commemoration of Muttiah Muralitharan’s achievement of becoming the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. Pulasthi also had the privilege of designing stamps for renowned personalities such as veteran musician Pandit Amaradeva, veteran actress Malini Fonseka, famed poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Brush strokes to melodies
Pulasthi’s talents and creativity are not limited to paints and brushes but also extend to pen and paper. While he was working in the field of advertising, he had the chance to write scripts and verses for advertisements. “When I was studying in Haywood in 1973, Mahagama Sekera was the head and an appreciation I got for a few of my verses still remains in my heart as a powerful validation for my talent in verse and lyric writing” Pulasthi shared one of his beloved memories of how he got motivated to work on his verse writing skill along painting. His first lyrics composition was done for the famed musical artist Dayan Witharana. Starting with him, Pulasthi got the privilege to work with many renowned musicians such as Dayan Witharana, Amarasiri Pieries, Edward Jayakody, Krishantha Erandaka, Rodney Warnakula, Kingsley Peiris, Nirosha Virajini, Uresha Ravihari, Sashika Nisansala, Wasantha Thilakangani among others.
Hobby turned into a journey
“Both poetry writing and painting are my hobbies and I am extremely lucky because I got my hobbies as my career, which is a great blessing that an individual could achieve” Pulasthi shared his joy of having to pursue his hobbies and passions as a career, which brings him the bliss of self-satisfaction. He has also volunteered at the Kala Bhavan for a long time and as Pulasthi mentioned, the satisfaction achieved through sharing his knowledge and experience with his disciples has always motivated him to move forward, adding beauty and happiness to his life.
Other than for rewards such as satisfaction, Pulasthi has also been honoured with several significant awards for his artistry and creativity as an artist. As a veteran artist, he has been awarded the ‘Kalapathi’, ‘Kolomthota Bhushana’, ‘Vishwabhinandana’ and ‘Kalabhushana’ awards.
“To become an artist or a designer, skill and talent are necessary, but the most important element is creativity. So don’t stop being limited to skills, but always try to make a difference through creativity,” he added as a last comment, addressing the future generations who would like to join the field as artists and designers.
Article source: Celebrating the Unsung Artistry of Stamp Design – Ceylon Today
