Edited Excerpts from an interview
Tell us about the concept of ‘creating virtual life of reality’ in your paintings.
My style of oil painting is very detailed and I like to record every single hair and scale to capture the individual character of each subject with high resolution. Creating virtual reality using just the canvas/ wood, oil paint and paintbrushes with the subjects of our natural world has to be life-like so that people almost start to feel it is as real.
Why do the subjects of the natural world such as human life, wildlife and birds interest you the most?
I wanted to paint exotic animals and my passion got drawn towards them gradually. I consider myself lucky to be able to paint them realistically with god-given talent and make people aware about wildlife conservation.
Tell us about your personal journey of learning, understanding and creating art. How has your style changed over the years?
When I was three years old, I started to draw and paint without anyone’s help. I won lots of prizes in school for this. As I grew older, I was painting just as a hobby every once in a while. I didn’t seek help from a tutor on how to paint as it came to me naturally. My mother was able to observe the natural streak in me. So, she strongly encouraged me to take art as a full-time career. Then, I too felt that I should try to make a mark someday and left India in 2010 for New York as it is the number one global art market. I knew that to get recognition as an established artist, I needed a strong profile. I wanted to be known as an artist who could create virtual reality in oil painting as I felt that this would give me a stronger identity in the competitive global art market. Unlike other artists who stick to the same series or genre, I always wanted to paint anything that existed in front of my eyes. As time went by, I learnt a lot in the art world to try something different, like mixing modern art with realistic art to create a new style. My new style is going to be very trendy and flashy.
Why did you choose oil as your medium?
Oil paint is known as a more ‘pro’ type of paint used by established artists. It has a great reputation to keep the sale price high in the art market. Oil paints provide a wide range of colours and rich colour depth as they can be layered and mixed more freely than other paints, such as watercolor or acrylics.
What do you think is the most important component in creating a commendable piece of art?
It is a good question. To be honest, from my experience in the art market, I believe art collectors, art dealers and buyers take chances with any type of art that is created by an established and wealthy artist to profit from them when it changes hands from seller to buyer and vice versa. Sadly, the art itself is of less concern for them. It is really a complicated field. If you are truly talented with a lot of creativity to make a beautiful piece, self-promoting it through social media is a good option to make a big impact and work your way towards the top without facing any obstacles.
What is your creative process like?
As a kid, I drew from memory but now I look at the subject by manipulating it in such a way so as to create an incredible piece of art with soft natural colours. The type of art that I make is very time consuming. For instance, A New Day Rising (elephant) took more than 100 hours to finish. Currently, I’m working on a piece for the United States government, which has already taken 300 hours. This is the most time consuming art I’ve ever created so far.
What are the constraints that selfmade artists in the world of art face?
Self-made artists need to strive with sheer will power in order to succeed. In the art world, the lack of exposure is the main constraint that most talented artists face. The artists must get their work exposed through art fairs or promoting them mainly through social media platforms, and with just one hit, your work could go viral around the world and give you the recognition as an artist.
Do you ever experience creative blocks?
How do you deal with them? No. All I need is a concept or an idea to get into my head and then I will figure out a way and go with the flow. I would never ever fear or doubt my creativity.
