“Nadine David’s art takes you back to a more leisurely era, when the likes of David Paynter (her teacher) borrowed the earthy shades of Lanka’s rural soul to paint her dusky people; celebrate ehela trees in full bloom; the quiescent lapis lazuli sea of Ruhuna; and the beauty of village damsels…

There is also a touch of the ‘43 Group, and the likes of Justin Daraniyagala and Harry Pieris, people she had the good fortune to know when young.” Yomal Senerath-Yapa

Nadine David stands out in Sri Lanka’s arts scene as a passionate teacher and cultural steward, deeply influenced by her mentor David Paynter. While most of her paintings are landscapes or portraits, with great mastery of light and form, some of her work captures the heritage and culture of Sri Lanka in vivid detail and authenticity. The Lunch Hour (1965), for example, is inspired by a group of mendicants outside St. Anthony’s Kochchikade, showing a widow with shorn hair and no jewellery. A Song of Praise, her most recent exhibition in 2024, allowed the public and critics alike to appreciate her work after a hiatus of two decades.

She studied under David Paynter at the Heywood Institute of Art and then on his farm in Trincomalee after he left the college. Before that, she had been under the tutelage of Gill Smith when she was in England. Smith took her to major galleries and exhibitions and encouraged her to study critical theory, furthering her love for painting.

Not confined to her own artistic practice, David has dedicated herself to nurturing the next generation. Her mentorship shaped artists like Dillai Joseph, Shaanea Mendis D’Silva, and Ranjit Perera, guiding them toward blending classical techniques with fresh, modern expressions. Under her, students have gone on to mount solo exhibitions at prestigious venues, testifying to the efficacy and reach of her teaching. Ranjit Perera, for example, credits five successful solo exhibitions to the encouragement and guidance he received from her. Through nurturing individual confidence and technical skill, David has played an essential role in shaping Sri Lankan contemporary art.