Glow Art: a Unique Re-Imagining of Art Through Light

On Sunday, September 13, Vanay Hegde presented to Frostburg State University a unique kind of performance art. Hedge is a gifted illustrator who is known for creating sculptures and photographs as well as computer graphics and drawings. However, at this event, Hegde presented a different kind of art: glow art, a unique experience in which the audience sits in total darkness while the artist creates diverse workings of art with glowing paints right in front of them.

Hegde started off with a small focused light on the canvas as darkness enveloped the crowd. Sudden spurts of concentrated lights on the canvas, the lines of the glow paint, formed animals, faces, cars and more. Using vibrant highlighter-hues of orange, red, yellow and green to create illuminated images for the audience, Hegde brought each painting to life as the paintings under it faded.

According to his website, Hegde graduated from Vancouver Film School in Canada with a degree in 3D character modeling and texturing. He then went on to the Jedi Masters program at Lucasfilm Animation in Singapore. Today, he works as a 3D modeler for Dreamworks Animation India, located in Bangalore.

Surprisingly, the idea of “Glow Art” was actually created by Hedge himself, and it is considered the first of its kind in India. During his performance, Hegde said of glow art, “Everybody can generally draw on a canvas or sketch on paper, but I think with Glow Art, there is no control over the canvas. I don’t have any other support.”

Hegde proved his proficiency in his craft. Each piece of art was carefully executed and shined brilliantly. He demonstrated true passion for his art and it was a show surely to be remembered.