Preserving Punjabi Life

He’s never enrolled in art classes or had formal training, but Jarnail Singh comes by his talent honestly.

A prolific and internationally recognized painter, his Newton studio is testament to his quarter-century of success, with dozens and dozens of oil and acrylic paintings hung wherever wall space will allow and canvases stacked four or five deep against nearly every side of the room.

With a palette of browns, oranges, yellows, and greens nearby, Singh sits barefoot and shares his journey – one that eventually led him from India to Surrey six years ago.

His father, Kirpal Singh, was a major artist in the Punjab, famous for his sometimes graphic paintings of Sikh history, and one of the founders of the Central Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple of Amritsar.

Singh said he began drawing “just for fun” as a child, and only developed as an artist as he grew into a young man.

“After high school it was more focused and I started helping my father prepare canvases, wash brushes and fill in colours.”

He was becoming his father’s apprentice.

“I learned everything about colours and composition,” says Singh. “Gradually, I started on my own.”

His first exhibition in his early 20s resulted in his first sale – a painting of a woman grinding corn – to the provincial tourism department. After that, things “took off.”

He continued to highlight themes representing traditional Punjabi life and Sikh faith, with brightly coloured acrylics and oils illustrating everything from everyday folk culture scenes to important historical moments.

“I worked and worked and worked until I created a body of work nobody could ignore,” he says, laughing at his own perseverance.

While some of his work depicts scenes as seemingly mundane as women fetching water from a well, others show famous gurus on horseback with swords at the ready, or celebrated agreements between country leaders.

“I saw life changing before my eyes and I thought I should do something to preserve it. One hundred years from now, people can see my work and see how life used to be.”

His father passed away in 1990, and a decade later, Singh decided to move to Surrey with his wife and two children. He had already gained a favourable reputation world-wide, with his paintings being commissioned across India, as well as the United Kingdom, Australia, the U.S. and Canada.

“Almost 80 per cent of it was coming from North America, so I thought ‘why not move there?’”

The emigration to Surrey didn’t slow the demand for his paintings and Singh continues to do traditional Punjabi scenes and personal portraits – mostly commissioned pieces – as well as exhibiting his work, remaining highly involved with the local arts community, and presenting lectures, including an upcoming talk at the Surrey Museum.

These days, his art reflects his relatively new-found surroundings, with an ongoing series of paintings of area landscapes and peaceful scenes of local parks and waterways.

“I paint whatever inspires me,” he concedes, conscious of the fact he’s had a blessed life as an visual artist.

“I make a living out of doing the thing I love to do.”

- Jarnail Singh’s work (as well as his wife Baljit Kaur’s paintings) can be viewed by appointment by calling 604-825-4659 or e-mailing jarnailarts@hotmail.com

- Singh will present a lecture and slide show at the Surrey Museum, 17710 56A Ave., on Sept. 20 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more information, phone 604-592-6956.