Young Sri Lankan American Artist
Making Art as a
Mirror to the World
Welcome to my corner! As you visit the different periods of my life and see the multitude of reasons why I make what I do, I hope at least one of my pieces sticks with you. Art is merely a vessel to connect our hearts, bodies, and minds.
About Lily Meegoda
My name is Lily Meegoda. I have been making art for what feels like a lifetime, and my
art has evolved and been my reflection as I have grown up throughout the years. There are so
many facets of my life where my artistic inclinations have seeped into, and as you’ll see
throughout this website, it has gone practically everywhere in my life. I love art, and the freedom
it has given me to take images in my imagination and make them a reality, through careful
precision and trial and error. I also think it’s fun! In the time of AI and the like, I think it is
increasingly crucial to hold close our own natural ability to create meaning from materials. The
beauty of art made from time, patience, and an understanding of what it means to be human
can never be taken away from us.
Explore the Collection
Journey through different phases of my artistic development, from early explorations to advanced school projects and personal gifts created with love.
Artwork I made fresh out of freshman year, as a part of a program in Afterschool Matters. These
pieces, while some were prompted with directions given by our teachers, all were representative
of who I was at the time, and who I continue to be. When I look back at these pieces, I reflect on
the fond memories and friendships I made during the 6 weeks of this program, and I also look
back nostalgically at the kid I was near the beginning of my high school career.
Throughout my entire high school career, I have taken a multitude of art classes, like
sculpture and drawing & painting. I started with Art Cubed, a specialized Art I class dedicated to
artistically inclined freshmen who were selected through portfolio submissions. Every advanced
art class at my school requires a semester final project, called a 20 hour, which many of these
pieces are. I have also made art in school beyond my art classes, whether that be for art
competitions at the Illinois Junior Classical League conventions, or t-shirt designs for various
clubs.
I think the most important and valuable part of being an artist is what we can give back to
others. This is why I dedicated a section to gifts, tailored specifically to the person I give them
to. With my art, I hope to fill their hearts with just a fraction of the love they’ve given me.
Early Works
Artwork I made fresh out of freshman year, as a part of a program in Afterschool Matters. These
pieces, while some were prompted with directions given by our teachers, all were representative
of who I was at the time, and who I continue to be. When I look back at these pieces, I reflect on
the fond memories and friendships I made during the 6 weeks of this program, and I also look
back nostalgically at the kid I was near the beginning of my high school career.
Chalk pastels
Self Portrait
Self portrait, with a reference image taken with varied lighting. At the time I had been quite insecure, so it was very healing to make this portrait.
Acrylic
Portrait of Gerard Way
Portrait of Gerard Way, lead singer of hit pop punk band My Chemical Romance. One of my favorite bands since my early teen years.
Chalk pastels
Beau
Portrait of one of my dearest friends, who means the world to me.
Acrylic
Sir Bartholomew III
Painting of (recently passed as of 2025) fish at my high school’s aquarium. I have fond memories observing this fish.
Acrylic
Pacific Sea Nettle
Painting of my favorite species of jellyfish, the pacific sea nettle. I have quite the jellyfish obsession.
Acrylic
Golden
Painting of a photograph of a tree in front of my home, leaves glowing from the street lamp behind it.
High School Journey
Throughout my entire high school career, I have taken a multitude of art classes, like
sculpture and drawing & painting. I started with Art Cubed, a specialized Art I class dedicated to
artistically inclined freshmen who were selected through portfolio submissions. Every advanced
art class at my school requires a semester final project, called a 20 hour, which many of these
pieces are. I have also made art in school beyond my art classes, whether that be for art
competitions at the Illinois Junior Classical League conventions, or t-shirt designs for various
clubs.
Acrylic
The Three Fates
Painting of the three fates: Clotho, who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, who measures the thread of life and determines how long the person will live; and Atropos, who ends a person’s life by cutting the thread.
Acrylic
Temple of Diana
Painting of the Temple of Diana, in Mérida, Spain. Features the Hunters of Diana, the goddess’s followers, hunting a deer.
Chalk Pastels
Petal Tea Party
Still life as a part of a series of works we did studying abstraction. I selected this piece because I am satisfied with both the vibrancy and the level of abstraction.
Chicken wire, tissue paper, polymer clay, acrylic, moss squares
Rotten (20 hour project)
Sculpture depicting the way aging is viewed in society. I used oranges as a metaphor for our life stages, to show how women are discarded and considered too old and disfigured to be beautiful, once they surpass relatively young ages.
Oil
Jennifer’s Body (20 hour project)
Painting representing the futility of valuing beauty, because beneath the surface, we are all the same gross fleshy creatures.
Triple X clay, paper mache, acrylic paint, air dry clay
Dark Matter (20 hour project)
Sculpture exploring childhood dreams, one of mine being becoming an astronaut. I gave up on it a long time ago, but I never lost my childhood curiosity and desire to explore the unknown.
Chicken wire, tissue paper, paper mache, wire, paper, fairy lights
Jellyfish Bloom (20 hour project)
Sculpture exploring what it means to be alive. Jellyfish and plants are both without brains, and yet while they (probably) don’t have a conscience, they are considered as alive as ever.
Styrofoam, popsicle sticks, fabric, and other miscellaneous items
Eyes are a window to the Soul (20 hour project)
Sculpture exploring the idea that eyes are a window to the soul. An eyeball is visible on the outside, yet inside is a home decorated with love, with a little creature labelled ‘the soul’ inside.
Acrylic
For Thenaya (20 hour project)
Painting juxtaposing my younger self with my current self, to explore the idea of growing up. Some parts of me remained the same, like the elements of my dress, yet many changed, like the setting and other elements of my dress.
Gifts from the Heart
I think the most important and valuable part of being an artist is what we can give back to
others. This is why I dedicated a section to gifts, tailored specifically to the person I give them
to. With my art, I hope to fill their hearts with just a fraction of the love they’ve given me.
Mixed media
Tiger
For a summer internship coworker, I decided to give him a tiger because I thought it fit his tough but smooth and funny personality very well.
Mixed media
Heron
For my summer internship boss, I decided to give her a heron because she was both very tall yet elegantly collected, and she was very interesting to be around, just like seeing a heron in the woods may feel.
Mixed media
Chickadee
For a summer internship coworker, I decided to give her a chickadee because she is one of the bubbliest and friendly people I’ve met, and her sweetness and friendship meant a lot to me.
Mixed media
Bear
For my summer internship boss/main overseer, I decided to give him a bear because while he seemed tough on the outside, he was really just a sweet and caring person.
Mixed media
European Badger
For a summer internship coworker, I decided to give him a European badger, because I used to be a bit scared of him, like you would be towards a honey badger, when in reality he was kind.
Mixed media
Wolf
For a summer internship coworker, I didn’t work in the same department but we ate lunch around the same time and became quick friends. I gave him a wolf, because from what I learned about him, he made it through some tough things and I thought that made him a strong person.