“The paint hits the wall and I just start flowing. It’s honestly my dream.”
For Mayanthi Jayawardena, murals were not one of her preferred mediums or projects until recently. When she took up full-time artistry, she began with photography and digital illustration before transitioning to more painting. The Durham resident said she began to consider scaling up her work on the suggestion of her partner.
“At the time, I shot the idea down,” Jayawardena told 97.9 The Hill. “But as the [COVID-19] pandemic hit and I was looking for other ways to get my art out there, I started reaching out to people. And they were excited about my art, the visions I had, and from there, I just got the bug and I want to paint everywhere now.”
Over the last couple of years, Jayawardena has done just that – with murals all over walls, corners and pockets of the Triangle. That includes several spots in Chapel Hill, like a couple of small businesses, in a bus shelter, and at a Northside Elementary School storm drain.
If you walked by Basnight Lane off of West Franklin Street in recent weeks, you’ve probably seen her latest in town: a mural of women’s hands and lotus flowers on the side of the Lantern restaurant. The piece, titled “Lotus Rising — An Ode to Women,” was finished in March which was Women’s History Month. That recognition was part of Jayawardena’s inspiration that she pitched to local art organizations, who eventually put her in touch with Lantern owner and chef Andrea Reusing.
“When I met with Andrea, we talked a lot about different visions she had,” said the muralist. “She was really open to what I had to say and fine-tuned it. We came up with this vision of the hands, the lotus flowers, the vibrant colors, and I feel like it just fell into place perfectly.”
Jayawardena ultimately free-handed the design of interlocked hands and fists with bright nail polish after painting the entire wall black. Among those hands, pink and purple lotus flowers spring from the ground, which she described as a representation of women overcoming adversity and blooming from their resilience. As the national flower of Sri Lanka, Jayawardena said they hold a deep meaning to her as a Sri Lankan artist — and also reflect perseverance as they often grow from the mud.
The hands theme in the mural is also a theme through much of Jayawardena’s other work too.
“Hands are the tools that we use to create and transform the gifts within us into the artwork or whatever we are creating in front of us,” she said. “They also connect us through how we show love, friendship and giving in our relationships. My hands are my vessels of translating my ideas in my head into the artwork in front of me.”
The celebration of women is particularly fitting on that wall facing Basnight Lane, as it will be a welcoming sign to those heading to Lantern’s new space. Reusing and a variety of local partners are preparing to launch the Garden Spot: a place hosting 4-week pop-up residencies of small businesses starting to grow. According to the Lantern’s announcement of the space, the project’s goal is “to lower the barriers of entry into the food industry” for women, people of color and immigrants.
Despite having work in other parts of Chapel Hill, Jayawardena said she really felt the community’s encouragement while painting “Lotus Rising” during March. One year after being inspired to create such a mural, she put the finishing touches on it – and got immediate reactions from people walking by. Since then, she said other businesses have reached out to her about projects based on her success of “Lotus Rising.”
“My favorite part of the mural was just feeling that community support and love,” Jayawardena said. “So many people stopped by to chat with me, the [employees of] businesses that are nearby would come out and talk with me about it. I was painting on really cold days, and I feel like all the support really warmed me up at that time.”
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