Bachittar Singh United Kingdom
My practice entails exploring print-making, illustration and drawing. I am currently working as an Artist-Teacher, teaching extended school sessions in Arts and Crafts in Leeds West Academy and Leeds East Academy. Prior to this I worked as an Illustrator/Gallery assistant/Admin Assistant at ABA Art lab in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
I am interested in the practice of drawing, designing, printmaking and illustration. Throughout my life, and time in undergraduate study, the driving force behind my practice was honing a unique way of using illustrative marks to compose dynamic drawings. One of my many key inspirations is a desire to depict ‘ordinary’ urban environments, such as the ones I grew up in. I feel they are universally recognisable; being the stage for most people’s every day. Thus, I strived to use architecture that was both mundane and extraordinary as my mise en scene in order to find unique and overlooked beauty. I would walk around, ink and sketchbook in hand, drawing urban architecture and incorporating elements found on these walks (such as grass, sticks, mud, bottle caps) into the process in an attempt to both honestly reflect the story of a location, and create unusual unique marks. Every composition would be inked in one sitting and then watercolour painted in the same sitting, giving me the ability to express ideas of time and movement. My print-making practice involves creating compositions which let me express mark-making and tones to communicate texture and light on surfaces. Creating a series of prints further explores the idea of a narrative driving the direction of the story, a visual code tied together through repetition. Much like my drawings, I incorporate found objects, fabrics, materials and natural elements into the etching process. I enjoy the design process of creating a print from start to finish. With there being so many variables to create an etching, I often feel as though I am collaborating with the process itself; I have control of the materials but they sometimes choose to react differently to as planned, making it an interesting dynamic.
