Chan Dissanayake is a multi-award winning watercolour artist living in Canberra, Australia. He is a highly regarded tutor and a well-respected judge of local and regional art awards. Over the last 15 years his passion has turned to watercolour. A medium that thrives in spontaneous response and free expression. His mastery in watercolour is manifested by the vast varying subject matter that he tackles from rural landscapes, urban city scapes to coastal seascapes. In 2017, Chan received the ultimate accolade for an Australian Watercolourist when he was elected to the elite Australian Watercolour Institute. Known for his innovative approaches to teaching and generosity in sharing his knowledge, Chan has gained considerable reputation as an outstanding tutor and conducts workshops throughout the country as well as leading International Painting tours. currently he teaches watercolour at the ANU (Australian National University). He has contributed many articles to leading art publications including Australian Artist and Artists Palette. His quick and direct approach to watercolour has earned him much success and respect both nationally and internationally. Currently his work is represented at the Bungendore woodworks gallery, Bungendore.

Artist's Statement

"My works represent my inner response to the world around me. As an artist, my aim is to capture an impression of my subject with as little detail as possible. This is done by simplifying the subject matter to its core elements. I find that watercolour is a tailor made medium for this purpose. Watercolour is a demanding medium. It is paramount that one learns the language of watercolour. Only then you can command it to do its magic for you.”