On 15th August, Independence Day, a hot and humid day, R. Vignesh stood in the scorching sun on a beach near Chennai with a large magnifying glass in hand and a board of white rubberwood fixed on an easel. Curious beachgoers celebrating the holiday passed by, some stopping to stare. As his creation took shape on the wood, people began to gather around him, watching in fascination.
Vignesh positioned his magnifying glass focusing the sun rays on the wood and soon they burned the wood creating an etching. What emerged gradually was a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
Pyrography with sun’s rays as a tool
The art of creating etchings on wood by burning them with an object is called Pyrography. In this case, Vignesh uses the rays of the sun as his tool. While most Chennai residents would probably just complain of the scorching heat, Vignesh, an engineer turned sunlight artist, sits under the direct sun with just a hat for protection, and with immense patience works skillfully to create his form of 3D art. During the process, he uses three magnifying glasses in different sizes for outlining, detailing, and shading.
“I need to check tomorrow’s weather forecast today itself so I can be prepared. Still, it’s challenging, because however accurate the forecast may be, nature has its ways of surprising us sometimes,” Vignesh says. He needs 2-3 days to create an A4-sized portrait, so the presence of adequate sunlight is a must.
Emerging from grief and loss
Seven years ago, Vignesh suffered from depression and grief due to a personal loss. At that time, he experimented with and mastered the skill of creating wood art with sunlight. He watched videos of sunlight art by California-based solar artist Michael Papadakis and patiently practiced for days in the crackling summer heat to grasp the intricacies of creating art with sun rays.
‘Sunlight art fascinates me’
“In most other forms of art, there is interaction with paper or a canvas board. But sunlight art fascinates me the most because art is created without touching the board, as if by some kind of magic! This impresses me although it needs immense patience, the ability to tolerate the sun’s burning heat, discipline, and dedicated practice,” Vignesh adds.
Vignesh calls himself Asia’s first sunlight artist and has created stunning portraits of popular figures in sports and politics like K. Karunanidhi and M.S. Dhoni.
From hobby to business
Today, thanks to social media and the demand from netizens, Vignesh has grown his hobby into a business making home decor items and customized gifts shipped to customers worldwide. Has also received awards for his art including the Einstein Exemplary Award, 2023 from Einstein World Records LLC, Dubai.
Overcoming hurdles
However, Vignesh’s journey to fame and creating unique art was not easy. He faced multiple challenges including ridicule from people close to him. “Those around me didn’t encourage me but rather made fun of my choice. My only rays of hope were my wife, Aarthi, and a relative, Avinash, who supported me through all my trials and tribulations and continue to do so. Pursuing this art form was difficult initially owing to some health challenges. Earlier, I couldn’t stand under the sun for a long time and hold the magnifying glass at the proper angle as my hands would tremble. Sometimes those tremors got worse and made me slump down. It was challenging to continue my work,” Vignesh recalls.
Collaborating with the Indian Ministry of Culture
Vignesh has come a long way from those times and has some innovative plans for the future. “My upcoming projects include portraits and unique temple sculptures. I’m also trying to exhibit my artwork more often. I recently conducted a workshop in sunlight art for interested students in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India,” he says.