His canvas comes alive on the spot

Uday Kumar Marlapudi, who is mastering the art of spot painting since the age of six, conducted a spot painting exhibition at Rajiv Gandhi Group of Educational Institutions in Rajahmundry on Monday. The event was to mark the Republic Day celebrations.

At the event, he created seven spot paintings on various themes, like freedom struggle, great people and rural lifestyle of the region, on 5x7 feet canvasses, which drew the attention of a large crowd. Speaking on the occasion, Uday Kumar said that his main aim was to motivate youth towards arts and create awareness among the youth on our traditions, culture and history.

He also mentioned that such spot painting exhibitions would wipe out fear from children on bringing out their skills. Former MP and founder chairman of Rajiv Gandhi Group of Educational Institutions GV Harsha Kumar was in awe of Uday’s paintings. Uday has received lot of accolades for his paintings from across the globe.

He resigned his job as a teacher to became a full time artist. Born in Palakollu in West Godavari in 1959, Uday won a state prize for his paintings of Taj Mahal and Shah Jahan. From his sixth standard, his participation was reserved in every art competition. He put up an expo titled ‘One Man Show’ in Nidadavole scout camp. He is currenly pursuing an MFA from Karnataka University.

Posters designed by Uday on Palestine liberation movement in 1982 created a huge international buzz. Uday established the Harivillu Arts Academy in 1991 and is the founder of Social Awareness and Vitality on Earth (SAVE). Uday has also set a record for painting non-stop for 28 hours in Palakollu in 2008.