When Melbourne's COVID-19 lockdowns brought her busy entrepreneurial life to a sudden halt, Padmini de Silva found herself with something she hadn't experienced in years: free time. What started as an unexpected pause in her routine eventually led to a profound journey of self-discovery and artistic awakening.
Confined to her home like millions of others during the pandemic restrictions, de Silva began experimenting with whatever materials she could find around her house. She started grinding fruits and vegetables into natural powders, carefully bottling and labeling them before storing them in her pantry. This initial experimentation with natural materials would later become a defining element of her artistic practice.
The enforced isolation that many found challenging became a catalyst for de Silva's creative transformation. As weeks turned into months during Melbourne's extended lockdown periods, she gradually shifted from simple household experiments to more serious artistic exploration. Her kitchen became an impromptu laboratory where she developed techniques for creating pigments and dyes from organic materials.
Today, de Silva's artistic journey continues to evolve, much like the canvases she creates. Her work reflects not only the technical skills she developed during those quiet lockdown months but also the deeper understanding of herself that emerged from that period of forced reflection. The natural powders and pigments that began as pandemic pastimes have become integral to her artistic identity, connecting her work to themes of sustainability and organic creativity.
