Innovative Toronto-based digital artist Vincent Yugin (Karuna) who passed away suddenly in Canada was inspired by renown art instructor A. Mark who pioneered teaching of modern art in Northern Sri Lanka, particularly Jaffna.
Karuna said Mark introduced his students to the work and styles of Sri Lankan art icons George Keyt, David Paynter, and Indian great David Jamini Roy.
In 2017, Karuna’s work was on display at an exhibit in Markham City Hall in a suburb north of Toronto. The show was
inaugurated by then city councilor Logan Kanapathi on Thai Pongal day.
“Mark told us to borrow from our surroundings and draw,” Karuna told lankareporter.com, during his exhibition,
reminiscing on his days under the guidance of Mark in Jaffna.
“In fact, that is what inspired me to do a series of paintings based on the bicycle. The cycle plays important part in day-today
life in Jaffna as a popular mode of transport”.
Karuna’s art journey took him to explore new shores in Canada. Here, he was introduced to Coral Painter and a digital tablet to draw. By 1992 he became the first Sri Lankan Tamil artist to pioneer the digital medium. Karuna ran a graphic design and photography company, DIGI Media Creations, in Toronto.
