As the music reaches its crescendo so do the brush strokes; And before you realise there is a canvas of colours before your eyes. That’s Vilas Nayak for you! A self-taught artist, Vilas Nayak has captured millions of hearts with his speed painting. Finalist of India’s Got Talent season-3 and currently one of the most sought-after speed painter in Asia, Vilas does live art shows regularly in India and other countries
BENGALURU: Renowned speed painter and finalist of India’s Got Talent show Vilas Nayak, has become the first Kannadiga to perform during the half-time of National Basketball Association’s (NBA) match. The match was between Los Angeles Clippers team and Houston Rockets held at Staples Centre in Los Angeles, US. The Ujire-based artist, who is settled in Bengaluru, and is currently in the US, in an exclusive conversation with City Express, spoke at length about his experience.
Here are the excerpts. Vilas says, “It was a very different experience to do a live painting during the half-time. It was a jugalbandi with Resurrection Choir – a US based Choir team. I completed the painting in 5-and-a-half minutes.”
The painting - Martin Luther King - is presently with the Los Angeles Clippers Team. The painting may be auctioned for a cause in the future. “Co-incidentally, it was MLK (Martin Luther King) Day, which is a big deal here. So I created his painting with American Flag and included Dream in the painting of course inspired by his ‘I have a Dream’ speech. I wanted to make it an inspiration, I think I have succeeded in doing it,” he says.
It wasn’t a smooth journey to US for Vilas. He had to take an alternate flight as his flight was cancelled because of bad weather conditions in Bengaluru. After traveling 22 hours, the artist just had an hour to prepare for the event. “I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to make it to the event. Thankfully, I did and it went on as expected, amid sleepless journey and jetlag,” he adds.
What looks like a speed painting on stage needs lot of practice, explains Vilas. “A lot of hard work, thinking and creativity are required while practicing for painting. Also, speed painting requires a lot of practice, unlike what is seen on stage, which gets ready in a matter of seconds there. A lot of effort is put into it, behind the stage. The best part is the applause from the audience when the painting turns out to be beyond beautiful on the canvas,” Vilas says.
Art is his ticket
The passionate artist says, ‘art has taken him places’. Vilas has travelled the world extensively and met every idol in person, you can possibly dream of. Sachin Tendulkar, Football legend Pele, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, APJ Abdul Kalam, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh are a few
to name.
It all started when he was just a three-year-old kid. He always chose colour pens and painting brushes over textbooks. But, mind you! He was earlier with the IBM before he put his papers and took over the world with his masterstrokes on canvas! He got a major breakthrough after he participated in the Asia’s Got Talent. After this, there has been no stopping him.
Vilas creates wonders in a very short span of time. By the time you finish making popcorn, Vilas would have created an art piece worth a million!
Know the artist
Vilas Nayak is a self-taught artist who started painting at the age of 3. He bagged 7th Rank in BA from Mangalore University and 2nd Rank in MSW from Mysore University. He worked in Bangalore for about 6 years as a human resources officer before quitting his lucrative corporate job in 2011 to pursue his passion for art. Finalist of India’s Got Talent season 3 and winner of ‘EC live quotient Most Innovative Act Award’ 2012, he is currently one of the most sought after speed painting artist in the world. His performances on Asia’s Got Talent on AXN and Got Talent World Stage Live have caught attention of millions of art lovers across the world. He has performed at some of the biggest events in India and 23 other countries.