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A water colour painting of a southeastern Saskatchewan grain elevator is getting some royal treatment.
Bhupinder Singh’s painting ‘Fillmore After Rain’ will be displayed in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. The Regina artist said he was both pleased and shocked to learn that his work was literally fit for a king.
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Bhupinder Singh’s water-colour painting “Fillmore after Rain” depicts the community 105 kilometres southeast of Regina. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
“I did not know how to react,” he said. “It took me a long time before it sank in.”
Singh said he came across the scene while on a road trip to Stoughton during the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his wife stopped in Fillmore after a storm rolled through, and he snapped a photo.
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Back in his studio, Singh recreated the scene with the grain elevator and colours reflecting from the moisture on the ground, using his memory for reference rather than the photos.
Bhupinder Singh dips his brush into a midnight-blue water-colour paint. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
“I try and paint how I feel about it,” he said, “not what the camera is telling me.”
Singh said he finds inspiration for his portraits and landscapes in every corner of the province.
“I think I felt really connected to the people on the prairies,” he said. “Every day is an inspiration for me, even in the quiet, wintery days, it has its own beauty to it.”
The Fillmore landscape caught the attention of a jury as the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour selected paintings for the Royal Collection Project last year.
Bhupinder Singh said he does thousands of paintings and sketches each year. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
Singh’s painting was one of 25 across Canada to be shipped across the ocean to be displayed in the Royal Family’s castle.
Since 1985, about 110 pieces of art have been selected to capture the attention of those visiting the Royal Library through the project.
Singh’s wife Tonya said she was delighted her husband’s work was selected.
“All of his paintings are so good. There’s always something so beautiful to look at in each of his paintings” she said. “I don’t really have a favourite because there’s just too many to pick from.”
Bhupinder Singh stands with his wife, Tonya, in the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
Art is a big part of the couple’s life together, Tonya said, and they can often be found sewing or painting in their home studio.
Singh said he began painting when he was eight years old and living in India, insisting his parents opted for a water-colour set because it was affordable and less messy than oils or acrylics.
He came to Canada to be closer to his family in 2005, and met his wife here.
Bhupinder Singh enjoys painting aircraft because he grew up on a military base in India. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)
Singh has worked as a full-time artist since 2014, and teaches art at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre, completing thousands of paintings and sketches each year.
The couple said they hope to make a trip to the castle to see Singh’s work on display sometime soon.
