Ranjit Singh Sagoo, from Birmingham England, is a self-taught artist and photographer. Although he has always had an innate talent for drawing and an eye for composition, life chose a different career path for him. Now a GP Principal serving his local community, his daily art requires a stethoscope and a keen understanding of the human body and mind.
Although medicine had taken precedent, his passion for a pencil and paintbrush has continued to grow. His experience in medicine heavily influences his work and Ranj aspires to communicate the emotions and feelings experienced on a daily basis through his art, creating a deeper connection with the viewer.
His first collection, a 6-piece series of big cats entitled “Panthera” was widely well-received, highlighting his attention to detail and creating an emotional and visceral connection through each piece.
Self-taught or art school?
I am mostly a self-taught artist. I studied art up until GCSE and did very well in both Art and Graphic Design. However after this, I did not pursue art as a career, instead, I took a very different path in medicine. I continued to sketch whenever I could (which at times became quite rare). It has only been in the last few years having established my medical career that I have been able to get back into drawing and painting seriously.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
I am a huge fan of the work of Nick Sider, his hyperrealistic style is a massive inspiration for me. If I could own one of his original tiger pieces that would be amazing!
How would you describe your style?
My style is realism with the intent of creating imagery the viewer can feel in its presence as well as see. Deliberate attention to light and shadow, contrast, and detail, to create life on a piece of paper. Most of my work features wildlife so I want the viewer to feel the visceral presence of the animal in front of them.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
My process usually starts with an emotion, a feeling or an instinct – a human one. This largely stems from my life as a doctor. I am hugely influenced by interactions and experiences from consultations with my patients. I am so privileged to be in a position where I can learn so much about human emotions and experiences and I love to express these through my work. I then create a concept, from which I have a theme for a new series of works.
This concept or theme also has bearing on how I want to present my work in its size, the medium used and the colour palette, and also runs through the naming of each piece of work.
Is narrative important within your work?
Immensely. As a doctor, I am fascinated by human nature and am privy to much interaction with it. It’s amazing how a lot of this human nature can be found in animals and I like to depict this through my work. My art has to speak the emotions and feelings it is trying to portray so that the viewer connects with it. To be able to draw (pun intended) the connection between human nature and nature in its natural form is for me the perfect blend of both aspects of my life.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
There are a number of artists that I admire greatly and draw huge inspiration from. Christophe Drochon, Nick Sider and Carla Grace are three artists whose work I find fascinating. These are artists who bring their subjects to life. Their use of lighting effects creates so much drama and puts the viewer in the presence of the animal in front of them. They take realism to a whole other level, and this pushes me to improve all the time.
Graham Short, one of the worlds finest micro-artists is an inspiration for an entirely different reason. I am lucky to have met Graham and learned first-hand about the mental and physical extremes he goes through to create his art. Slowing his heart rate down to 25 beats a minute and using a stethoscope to listen and engrave in between your hear beats is both medically and artistically phenomenal.
I am a massive fan of comic books and graphic novels and Alex Ross is one of the best artists in the business. His artwork is spectacular, really bringing the words on the page to life. His style is very realistic too, giving a real-world feel to these super-human beings and fantastical stories.
Of the classic artists, Salvador Dali was always my favourite. His surrealism is a departure from my own realistic style, but it’s fascinating to explore Dali’s imagination in his works.
What or who inspires your art?
I’ve mentioned three artists earlier, Christophe Drochon, Nick Sider and Carla Grace, whose work resonates with everything I try to achieve in my work and I aspire to achieve a level close to their brilliance one day.
I’ve also eluded to my other inspiration earlier in that I draw inspiration from human interaction, human emotions and behaviour. This is where the inspiration for my pieces begins. It’s all around us, all day, every day. We just have to stop for a moment and appreciate it.
Finally the subject of my work, the animals themselves. Animals are amazing in that they are simply themselves. A lion is a lion and does what a lion does, but does so with so much grace, character, presence and life. There is a purity and innocence to this that deserves to be celebrated.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
Not so much a studio, but more of a workstation in my kitchen-diner! It’s made up of my desk, drawing-board, Mac and camera stand to film pieces for social media. My workspace seems to be ever-expanding and soon I’ll be taking over the whole dining room!
Do you have any studio rituals?
I can’t start working without a cup of coffee and probably drink several cups throughout a session. I also like to listen to audiobooks whilst I’m working. The book I’m currently listening to is ‘The 7 habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen R. Covey.
What are you currently working on?
My current series of works is called the ‘predator/prey’ series. I have really pushed myself with this series. The concept behind this is power and dominance, portrayed as the reflection of its prey in the eye of an apex predator moments before the predator strikes. The aim is to make the viewer feel as though they are looking into the eye of this powerful animal whose only instinct is to attack and exert its power over the unsuspecting prey. Each image is a large-scale hyper-realistic eye, so I have really challenged my skills in creating an image that highlights the details and textures of an animals skin or fur and the feeling that you are really looking at a reflection.
Where can we buy your art?
I am represented by Hammond Galleries Ltd. For sales and other information please contact Edward Hammond at info@hammondgalleries.com.
You can also contact us via my website www.ranjsagoofineart.com or email info@ranjsagoofineart.com.
