A
creative soul cannot and must not be tamed, for they take us on some of the
most colorful journeys and help us perceive the world through their eyes! Our
artist in conversation today is Nilantha Vidanarachchi, a realistic painter who
gives life to some of the most magical landscapes and portraits. Speaking with
him was truly inspiring as he spoke of his challenges and victories through the
years. We are privileged to share his interview with you today!
How long have you been painting?
I
started painting from my younger days, and along the way I deviated from it and
went on to find a more lucrative business?But I realized through the years that
my soul was not satisfied? I was a tour guide for many years and I saw so many
beautiful landscapes and historical places in our country and I had an urge to
paint all of them for the world to see. And I am glad to say that since 2004,
for the last 16 years, I have been following my heart and my passion.
Who are your greatest
influencers?
I
am inspired and influenced by artists of the renaissance period. Caravaggio and
Michealangelo to name a few. They were more realistic artists which is a style
I very much appreciate.
Did you have a formal
education on art and painting or are self-taught?
No,
I have not had any formal education on art. I am a self-taught artist. I love
the fact that I can portray reality as it is through my Art.
Do you have a particular
style? How did you become so passionate of this style?
As
mentioned before, I am a Realistic Artist. I do portraits, live paintings and I
try to expose every emotion, facial expression or the colors with every brush
stroke as it is. It is a very challenging style which is why I have fallen in
love with it. There aren't many Sri Lankan artists who are realistic painters.
What are other passions other
than art? How have these passions contributed for you to become the artist you
are today?
I
watch movies and sports during my free time. Some of the movies are on artists
and their life which inspires me because I often realize that my struggles and
disappointments are often similar. It is also a great way to learn about how
different painting styles evolved. I browse the Internet and learn about Art
which helps me improve myself.
Could you walk us through the
process? Percentage wise, how much time do you spend preparing for the painting
and how much time on the actual painting itself? Is preparation an important
part of your process?
To
begin with, If the painting required is from a historical period, then I
conduct some research to understand the background story, to learn the mode
used during the time and see how best I can match the colors and style. This
process takes quite a bit of time as I need to prepare myself first. If It is a
still life or a live painting, I may take some time to mix the colors and
observe the object or the person. But it is often quick work which needs to be
done then and there.
Are you engaged in new artistic
adventures? How is artistic exploration important to you as an artist and to
your process? How do you then decide what to incorporate into your style and
what you leave as pure fun?
Well,
as I explained before, I spend time on the internet, learning about artists and
their paintings from different eras. I then experiment and see what can be
combined with my style of painting. I have worked with different modes or
mediums, the pencil, acrylic, water colors and oils to name a few. So my
adventures are not necessarily to learn new styles but to see how I can improve
my current style of painting.
Was there a particular moment
where you could tell that your skills had just crossed over into being an
exceptionally good painter instead of a pretty good painter? What did you do
make that leap?
I
don't think I can say I am an exceptional painter. What I can say that I have
improved my skills over the years and I am ready to take on challenge. Just
yesterday, I did a painting which was wet on wet and I know for a fact that it
takes years of practice and skill to do such an art. And I leave it to my
audience to decide if I am an exceptional painter. My paintings are on display
at prominent institutions in Sri Lanka - Mount Lavinia Hotel is one place but I
am in no way going to judge myself.
How do you push yourself? Do
you set goals for yourself? And if so, what are the goals? Do you think setting
goals is important for an artist in his/her artistic journey? If so why?
Yes,
it is important to have goals in life in general. My research is mostly online
and I learn of new techniques and the new equipment which is available abroad.
I try to source as much as I can from Sri lanka but I think as artists, we can
certainly create better art if we have access to new resources. As
professionals, it is important to work towards improving our selves every day.
How is your experience working with Aartzy? Do you think it
is a useful planform for artists?
Aartzy is a very good platform. In Sri Lanka, Artists have very little exposure. There is no organization and no place for us as Artists. We struggle to take our work to international markets. Most of my work is based on self-research. I believe there needs to be some authority which supports us who are professional artists. Aartzy has been that bridge which takes our work overseas and I am very grateful for Janaka and his team. I have also managed to sell my creations through this platform and I truly hope for a long and fruitful journey together with Aartzy.
Nilantha's entire collection can be seen at https://www.aartzy.com/artist/nilantha-vidanarachchi
by Manesha Peiris