Senaka Senanyake received his formal training at Yale University, where he studied Art and Architecture. After graduating he decided to dedicate his life to painting. He moved back to Sri Lanka, where he has since established himself as one of the region's most important living artists.
His recent work is inspired by the plight of the Sri Lankan rainforests, many of which have been subject to intense deforestation to make way for tea-plantations. Senaka comments; "My main focus is on the endangered flora and fauna in our rainforests. In 2005 I visited a rainforest in Sri Lanka, which had became my muse for many of my shows."