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Artist Of The Month:
Indra Singh |
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by M. Y. Mim |
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Artist Indra Singh. |
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Author's full disclosure: I'm a passionate fan of Indra Singh's equestrian art. As an art critic, with a specialty in equestrian art, my prejudice is for artists who bring a new, fresh vision to the enormous body of work of horses in art that has existed since antiquity. |
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Singh's works sing with bold, creative images. I discovered her while perusing the Equine Art Guild, ( www.equineartguild.com) a prestigious organization to which Singh belongs. Her work jumped out at me and has stayed with me ever since. |
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Montreal-based Singh claims a life-long "dual passion" for horses and art. |
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"Before my commercial art training," she said. "I had considered Horse Management in a college in Toronto, but I decided I wanted to stay close to the family, so I chose art, but also kept horses in my life." |
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"Galloping Horses" by Indra Singh |
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Why equine art? Singh explains: "I know the horse quite well having owned several of all ages and working with them as a riding instructor. |
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"I sometimes make paintings just for |
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the sake of the horse itself, but often I use horses to communicate ideas on more universal themes. Occasionally, I am lured by other aspects of my life and the world I live in. Just recently, I created environmentally inspired 'rain' studies about weather (we Canadians are really into weather!) that do not have any imagery of horses in them; but somehow, I feel the essence of my horses live in these paintings regardless. I find the exploration of other topics rejuvenates my feelings about horses, and helps keep my work fresh." |
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Singh studied commercial art after high school, then worked many years as a fashion illustrator and graphics designer. |
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"Morning Romp" by Indra Singh. |
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However, she said, "My passion for horses never left me and I continued to dabble in fine art using the horse as my inspiration." |
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Deciding to continue her art education, Singh is back in school and halfway through a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the Studio Arts program at Concordia University. |
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When creating a piece, Singh often "catches a strong visual somewhere, |
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a color, a shape, contrasts, soft muted textures. I think about why I am impressed or influenced by it. If it is a strong image, it will stay in my mind for a long time. I'll doodle little tiny sketches, never very detailed, and if an image or pattern repeats itself often, I pull out a canvas and the exploration begins." |
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"Study of Walking Horse by Indra Singh.
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At that point in the life of a painting, Singh said, "I kind of let the painting grow and live its own life. Some paintings are pretty quick. Paints go down, line and texture happens, and I'll leave the painting. I'll look at it now and again, and all of a sudden, I decide it's done. |
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"Or, I might put paint down again and again. Pull it off, paint over it, scratch it. This can go on for quite a while. I definitely have to go away from a painting that is working this way. Then I come back to it, and maybe I can work it out. Some paintings just don't get finished. Thank goodness there aren't too many of those! |
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"Realism demands time, while my more abstract works are about what is happening in front of me. Although I prefer to work at my own speed, now and then a commission comes in and I do my best to stay within an accepted amount of time, usually around three months for a painting approximately three feet by two feet. |
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"Horses Walk By" by Indra Singh. |
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"I do have some strong feeling towards some of my paintings - those that come from observation of a special relationship or experience, but usually I leave a painting believing that in a small way, it has helped me to understand a little bit more about art, people and animals (especially horses!) and the world we share." |
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Equestrian art fans are grateful that Singh shares her vision and paintings with the world. |
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To view more of Indra Singh's art and/or purchase a piece, visit her website www.indrart.ca, or email her at indra@indrart.ca, or phone her at (514) 487-2970. |
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About the Author: M. Y. Mim is a free-lance journalist based in Santa Barbara, Ca. She may be reached at mymim3@cox.net, or through her agent R. Almqvist, 805-705-5349. The author wishes to thank Mr. Almqvist for his assistance in making this article possible. |
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Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved. The above article is the property of the Author and may not be duplicated or redistributed in any way without permission. |
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