THE SIDEONE PROFILE By Phyl Newbeck
Roshni Wijayasinha:
A resident of Jericho, Vermont, Phyl Newbeck is a freelance writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She is the author of Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving.
The marketer with an MBA and a surprising side-gig When Roshni Wijayasinha was a child, she used to
work is inspired by the energy the natural world
hang out near the printer at her parents’ business
provides,” she said. “I like to capture the idea of
in the hope that someone would accidentally print
energy through my art. Some of the pieces use
something they didn’t need so she could draw on the
movement and lines to show energy physically.”
back of the page. “I went to art school,” she said “but
Most of Wijayasinha’s paintings are large canvases.
after that I had to decide what I wanted to do as a career, so I decided to go into business.”
“They can make the biggest impact,” she said. “You can see the energy a lot stronger.” The Unionville Athletic Club has a private selection of her works and
Wijayasinha took a break from art during her undergraduate training and while getting her MBA, but after starting her marketing business, she reconnected with her artistic roots. She credits that business, Prosh Marketing, with helping her establish her artistic career. “I help start-ups and small businesses with their marketing strategy,” she said. “I’ve been able to leverage those skills to commercialize my art better and to get customers.”
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she is able to use that facility for storage for others. Wijayasinha uses a variety of products including acrylics, UV paint, spray paint and paint markers. She noted that she is known for the UV work because there are very few Canadian artists expressing themselves with that medium. “I like the idea of a painting with multiple levels and looks,” she said. “That’s why I started experimenting with glow-in-thedark paints. One painting can have multiple looks depending on the light.” Wijayasinha added that
INSPIRED BY THE NATURAL WORLD
viewers don’t need UV light for those paintings. A
A resident of downtown Toronto, Wijayasinha said
Philips Hue light bulb is sufficient to change the way
she gets her inspiration from the natural world. “My
her paintings are viewed. “I can be in the living room
SIDEONE APRIL 2021
