kanwar_singh's photostream

I’m a painter working out of my studio in Toronto. For the past 20 years I’ve drawn and painted my way through most styles and genres from comic books, book illustration, animation, realism and even modern art (although the last one was too hard to take seriously). When I picked up a copy of Kushwant Singh’s “History of the Sikhs” I was astounded by the stories and characters which filled its pages. It filled my mind with so many exciting images that I immediately started to put them down in my sketchbook.
I work in many mediums, often starting with an oil on paper base and finishing off by digitally painting with Corel painter (in fact my paintings are rarely ever done in one medium). I try not to box myself into a particular style or way of working because whenever I think of rendering a particular story I try to visualize how some of the great artists would have handled it. I imagine Turner painting the splendor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s court or Delacroix painting the scene where Guru Gobind Singh Ji is receiving the head of his Father, Guru Teg Bahadur. I drew heavily on Caravaggio’s baroque Chiaroscuro style because that was the only way I could think of painting the intensity of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Ji. The Challenge of painting in the different styles is a big part of the fun for me.
Ultimately what I am hoping to do is create works of art that will help draw people, both Sikhs and non-Sikhs to delve more deeply into Sikhism. I am by no means an expert on my own faith so it’s a big learning curve for me as well. I'm going to post completed paintings and sketches of upcoming works. I welcome any constructive criticism but if you're going to tell me that something is depicted inaccurately, please send me an image of what it ought to look like.