KOCHI: Talk about child prodigies and Minon John is one. Little known fact: This national award-winning child actor is also an incredibly talented painter who is all set to conduct an abstract portrait study workshop at Government Law College on Thursday. Minon took to painting at a very young age. “My father and mother are artists and I have grown up seeing them create art almost every day from my childhood. That was the reason I took up the paintbrush as well,” says the 19-year-old, who has acted in over 30 films.
“I mostly work with acrylic colours because I tend to paint very fast. I can use oil but they take a long time to dry. Acrylic is best-suited for my style as my strokes are usually broad and bold.”
Minon was last seen as an artist-wanderer who experiences an epiphany while painting the image of Lord Shiva in DJ Savio’s music video, ‘Destiny’. He says the experience was challenging. “I can paint on any surface, like walls, paper, canvas and glass but the one I did for the video was tricky. Its scale was huge and when the shooting was underway, the area was on red alert. After we completed the shoot on the first day, it rained heavily so I had to redo the entire thing,” says the artist, who has participated in 69 exhibitions across the country.
For a teenager who already boasts of a prolific filmography, Minon’s oeuvre as an artist is devoid of portraits of film stars or celebrities. “Recreating movie posters or painting prominent actors does not excite me. Despite being in the film industry, I am not inspired by fan art. I like to sketch faces that I encounter on the street. More often than not, I paint live, with my subject in front of me. Sometimes, I use my imagination or refer to photos,” says Minon, who has about 50,000 paintings in his collection. “I have lost count of the number but I complete at least one work every day and I have been painting for many years. Some days, I am so inspired that I finish ten pieces at one go,” he adds.
The workshop on Thursday is being conducted by the students union of Law College. Minon is going to train the participants in portrait painting, by encouraging them to develop their style and technique. Ask him about his plans and pat comes the reply. “I want to be an actor and a painter.” Minon will be seen next in the upcoming Tamil movie ‘Maara’, which also stars R Madhavan and Shraddha Srinath in prominent roles.