Nijesh Sidharthan’s journey as an artist is the stuff of dreams. Growing up in the picturesque environs of Valat in Wayanad district of Keralam he never expected that his tryst with fine arts would one day take him to Australia, where he is busy working as a visual effects artist in Hollywood productions and winning accolades for his watercolour paintings.
The 44-year-old, settled in Melbourne, recently won awards in two categories at one of Australia’s prestigious art shows, Rotary Eltham Art Show — Emerging Artist – 2D and Walter Withers en Plein Air Challenge (spot painting), the latter named after late Walter Withers, legendary Australian landscape artist.
“Original works of over 250 artists are being showcased at the event, which is on till September 6. It was overwhelming to win two awards. There were 30 works in the plein air category, out of which 10 were chosen for the exhibition,” says Nijesh over the phone from Melbourne.
Nijesh Sidharthan’s watercolour work that won Walter Withers Award at Rotary Eltham Art Show in Australia
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The artist shares that he almost had a blackout after winning two honours and did not recognise the Minister for Creative Industries when she came up to meet him. “She took a picture with me and I was surprised when she posted that on her Instagram handle,” says Nijesh.
He adds, “Visual effects is my profession while painting has always been my passion. Watercolour is my favourite since I find it challenging, interesting and unpredictable. I have always enjoyed plein air painting and Australia has such beautiful landscape that there is no dearth for inspiration to paint.”
Nijesh Sidharthan’s watercolour painting that won him Emerging Artist Award 2D at Rotary Eltham Art Show in Australia
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His works have been exhibited as part of group exhibitions in Dubai, Vietnam and Nepal. He has also participated in the Camberwell Art Show, one of the leading art exhibitions in Australia, for the last four years.
Nijesh recalls that he never planned to take up Fine Arts. “I was an average student in school and didn’t want to pick conventional stream for higher studies. Fine arts was an option put forward by my father’s friend. I joined for a diploma course and within six months I was fully into it. I put in several hours of practice to fine-tune it,” he says. Later he did his graduation in the discipline from Mysore open university while working as a VFX artist in Bengaluru.
Eventhough Nijesh started off as a graphic designer he later moved onto animation, first 2D and then 3D. In 2012, he joined Rhythm & Hues Studios (R&H), a globally-renowned visual effects studios, as a visual effects artist in Hyderabad. It was there that he worked on his first film, Life of Pi. It was followed by his stint at DreamWorks Animation in Bengaluru, before moving to China in 2017 where he was placed with Base FX.
In 2019 he shifted to Australia, where he worked with Animal Logic in Sydney, before moving to his current company, Framestore, one of the leading visual effects studios with several major Hollywood productions and Oscar-winning films to its credit. Among the films that he has worked are Moana (live action), Mortal Kombat II, Thunderbolts*, Borderlands, Leave the World Behind, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Elvis, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runway, Wish Dragon, Jumanji: The Next Level, Trolls, Home, Into the Storm, and Machette Kills.
A watercolour painting by Nijesh Sidharthan
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“I am a Look Development (lookdev) artist — my job entails creating the final visual image of a 3D digital file or model by working with light, colour, texture and composition,” he explains, adding, “That experience has influenced my approach to traditional watercolour. Although they are two different fields, both involve understanding light, colour, texture, atmosphere and visual storytelling. My journey continues to be driven by the same passion—to observe, understand and tell stories through images.”
Published – September 03, 2026 04:21 pm IST
