about
Sharmini was born and raised in Sri Lanka. After high school she qualified as an accountant and worked in the field for some years, two of which were in the Netherlands.
She has always had a strong interest interest in arts and crafts.
She moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1988 and for the next few years took many courses and workshops in a variety of courses and workshops including jewellery making, paper making, fashion embroidery, stained glass, watercolour painting etc.
She enrolled in a textile course at Capilano College in 1991, and on completion specialized in textile painting.
In 1997 she took a couse in off-loom beadweaving and since then has focused on creating beadwoven art.
Her work is sold through galleries and is held in private and public collections including The Museum of Arts and Design New York.
artist statement
Since discovering off-loom bead weaving in 1997, it has been my focus and passion.
Beadwork has been practiced since ancient times. In recent years, bead art created with a modern twist on age old techniques has been growing as a visible form of art.
I create ornamental works with beads and sometimes with the addition of other materials.
I am inspired by elaborate pattern and decoration found in cultural design, textiles, architecture, the natural world, to name a few.
I aim to make work that is pleasing to the eye and evokes curiosity in a viewer.
I am constantly experimenting with new ideas in order to create unique one-off pieces.
