Congratulations to Ranjit Sagoo who has earned a place as a Finalist in our 4th Edition!

Who are you? 

I am a 38-year-old from Birmingham, England and by profession, I am a doctor in the NHS having qualified 15 years ago. I am a general practitioner primarily because I love to build connections with people and gain a deeper understanding in aid of caring for their physical and mental needs. It is this connection that transfers into my art.

I have always had a passion for art since childhood. Any extra time I had during the school day would be spent in the art class and I would always ask my art teacher for an extra art project to do over the summer holidays.

Having chosen to pursue a career in medicine, there was little time to continue with art with any real consistency. Any time I did have between work and family life I did spend experimenting with drawing styles and mediums but mostly as a hobby. Having established my medical career, I saw an opportunity to rebuild my connection with art with purpose. Over the last 2 years, I have been defining my style and understanding myself as an artist.

What inspired you into drawing?

During my years in studying medicine, as spare time was scarce, most artwork that I did was pencil or pen sketching and drawing. I think this naturally developed my talent in drawing and then into my preferred style. Being able to take a simple pencil and sheet of paper and create something wonderful felt very innate.

Can you explain why you choose drawing as a medium for your work and voice as opposed to others?

The most awe-inspiring aspect of any art for me is the vision behind the art, the understanding of the creation of the piece. This extends across any artistic format – music, film, theatre etc. To create something that is filled with imagination, creativity and has purpose and meaning, is fascinating. I also like to create works that have high level of detail, which is why I’m drawn to realism. The more detail that can be added, the more life-like it becomes. I found the best way to incorporate all of this was through drawing. As I began to define my art more purposefully, I felt drawing would be the best vehicle to present work and concepts.

Have you experimented with other mediums?

Over the last few years, I have experimented with painting in both oils and acrylics, both of which I do enjoy, but a significant constraint for me is time. As a full-time doctor my time for art has to fit around my work and also family life and I found painting is not as easy as drawing to pick-up in and around these activities.

What drew you to realism and wildlife work? 

I have always had a fascination with wildlife and nature. Growing up watching wildlife documentaries I found that there is so much to draw wonderment from. An infinite variety of shapes, forms and colours, one has an unlimited resource from which to draw inspiration. More than the visual splendour, I find animal behaviour and interaction very interesting. This is where my artistic and medical sides interconnect. Understanding human nature and behaviour is a large part of my role as doctor and this naturally transfers into my fascination with wildlife. I love seeing how animals and nature behave and interact which influences my art massively. My desire as an artist is to create a connection with the viewer. The work should create a visual, emotional and palpable connection for the viewer of the work. This is what drew me to realism. As an artist I feel the more real I can make something, the greater the visceral connection for the viewer.

Can you walk us through the physical creation/technique of “Intent”?

As with the rest of this particular series I did some background research and looking for references for my piece. I was excited to add a ‘bird’ to the predator’s collection as I had not done one previously. I wanted to find one that had a lot of character and detail in the eye and the facial features surrounding it as the piece would be so magnified. The great horned owl was a perfect choice. I never use a single reference photo but use multiple pictures to create my final image.

I begin with sketching the basic outline of piece in pencil and when I’m happy with the size and proportions I will redo the outline in white pastel so I can see my outline as I begin to add colour. I start with background colours, blocking in large areas with soft pastel blending these to create smooth background tones. I then start to add layers in pastel pencil building from darker to lighter which adds the depth and dimension to the piece.

The naming of my work comes organically as the piece develops. I never begin with a name in mind. As I’m creating the piece, I begin to feel the connection that I have with it and what it speaks to me. ‘Intent’ came from the look of intention in the eye of the owl. There is a single focused intention and that is on the squirrel on which its gaze is fixed upon. The reverse can be said but the squirrel. The startled squirrel’s only intention is to flee the impeding danger.

“Intent” is part of a series; can you discuss the series and its inspiration?

As mentioned previously emotion and behaviour is a primary influence in my work. The inspiration behind the ‘Predator/Prey’ series was exactly that: being able to see and feel the emotions and behaviours from two opposite perspectives at this critical moment in time, simultaneously. The concept of the series is to capture this very natural conflict and express the feeling of each animal as the ‘fight or flight’ instinct kicks in. The large size of each piece, the macroscopic view of the eye, the choice of stance of the prey, and the colour choices, are all deliberate in creating a visual, emotional and tactile experience for the viewer.

What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?

My newest series drew inspiration from the ‘Predator/Prey’ series. It is called ‘The Heart of The Machine’. It draws from another passion of mine which is cars. This series will feature a close-up headlight of an iconic car brand which has an animal at the heart of its brand. In the headlight will be the reflection of the animal itself. Lamborghini, Ferrari and Jaguar are great examples of this.

Lastly, I would like to ask what advice you would give to your fellow artists/photographers?

The most important thing in my journey up until now as a new, emerging artist has taught me is to believe in yourself and if you are passionate enough about it, there’s nothing stopping you from going for it. This is because I have often used my career as a doctor, as demanding as it is, to find ways of putting off pursuing art when really it was due to not being confident enough in myself and my work. Be confident that your work is good enough and see everything as an opportunity to succeed and better yourself rather than a potential failure. It can’t fail if you don’t try and it’s not failure – it’s a lesson learned that’s going to make you better in the future.

To view more of Rajit Sagoo’s work

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