Rama "Sam" Samaraweera (1926-2021) was a self-taught artist of Sri Lankan heritage living and working in Wales. He specialised in painting wildlife and was inspired by a year working as a keeper at

Dudley Zoo Dudley Zoological Gardens is a zoo located within the grounds of Dudley Castle in the town of Dudley, in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England. The Zoo opened to the public on 18 May 1937. It contains 12 modernist animal encl ...

. He is probably best known for his picture, "'' Clouded Leopard''", a best-seller as a print.

Early life

Samaraweera was born in 1926 in Smethwick. He drew animals as a child, encouraged by his father, a doctor from Ceylon who was a GP in Birmingham. He trained as a teacher and he and his wife Sue went to Jamaica where he lectured in art and English literature. After military service, in 1961 Samaraweera took a job at Dudley Zoo as a keeper. He was sacked after a year for spending too much time sketching the animals he was supposed to be looking after.

Painter

The loss of the job provided the impetus to paint for a living. His ''Clouded Leopard'' became a best-selling print in America in the 1970s. During his painting career he exhibited at the Royal Academy, The Society of Wood Engravers, The Graphic Society, The

Society of Wildlife Artists The Society of Wildlife Artists is a British organisation for artists who paint or draw wildlife. It was founded in 1964. Its founder President was Sir Peter Scott, the current President of the society is British artist Harriet Mead. The society ...

and

The Pastel Society The Pastel Society is an art society, based in London, which promotes the use of pastel painting in contemporary art, through exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations and lectures. The Pastel Society is a registered charity in England, registered ...

. He staged five one-man exhibitions, two in London. In 2015 he returned to Dudley Zoo to donate three oil paintings in gratitude for inspiring him to paint.

Personal life

Samaraweera, a grandfather, lived in

Llanfyllin Llanfyllin ( – ) is a market town, community and electoral ward in a sparsely populated area in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. Llanfyllin's community population in 2011 was 1,532, of whom 34.1% could speak Welsh. Llanfyllin means ''church or ...

, Powys, Wales, where he had a studio in which he painted every day. He celebrated his 90th birthday in 2016. His nephew, Phil Brooks, is Head of Photography at Dudley College. Samaraweera died on 14 October 2021 in Llanfyllin and was buried at Llanfyllin Cemetery on 8 November 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samaraweera, Rama 1926 births 2021 deaths People from Smethwick 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters British contemporary artists British people of Sri Lankan descent Wildlife artists People from Ceredigion 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists