ਹੋਰਿ ਕੇਤੇ ਗਾਵਨਿ | Hor Kete Gaavan, Ravjot Singh, 2025, Watercolours highlighted with gold on paper.
For the Love of Painting
Ravjot Singh, Diogo Pinheiro, and Marianne Sung
Painting is one of the most beloved and represented mediums at TOAF, and is never short of exceptional talent. Meet three standout painters from this past summer.
Ravjot Singh brings a centuries-old painting style into our time with a fresh take, personal narratives and at times, his own portrait. His paintings are rich, layered, and incredibly precise. He is the recipient of the Best of Painting Award, generously supported by long-time friends of TOAF, Brett Ledger and Patricia Olasker.
Diogo Pinheiro‘s bright, structured paintings bring an intimacy to spaces we know so well, seen from angles we never thought to look from. He has been recognized with the Honourable Mention in Painting Award, made possible by new supporters Valérie Lockerbie and Richard Shimoda.
Marianne Sung‘s landscapes are dreamlike, familiar vistas drenched in soft, pale colours that radiate warmth and quiet joy. You might even catch her work in person if you stay at the Gladstone House, as she is the recipient of the Gladstone House Award, where her paintings will be on display for a full year.
Speaking of awards, as you know, we just announced a very exciting new addition to our awards program: the Ken Danby Award for Excellence in Realism Painting for $6,500. The Call for Artists for the 65th Toronto Outdoor Art Fair officially closes tomorrow. We can’t wait to see who steps forward!
Enjoy getting to know these three painters.
Best of Painting
Ravjot Singh
Ravjot on his practice
“My art is a visual journal of my feelings and insights that transcend language. Each piece is a memoir that reflects an emotional journey, spiritual culture, and history, told through the delicate mediums of watercolour, graphite, natural pigments, and gold. These materials ground my work in authenticity, while the use of gold symbolizes the divine presence woven into the fabric of each story. Art is my way of journaling and expressing my understanding of the divine.”
Hear from Award Judge Joseph Rumi
“Ravjot’s exceptional technique and use of historical materials and imagery combined with contemporary elements of his own personal experiences make for a unique body of work. Of particular note are his self portraits ‘Monkey at his point, Kasuli’ and ‘Kudrat’.”
— Joseph Rumi, President of Rumi Galleries
Honourable Mention Painting
Diogo Pinheiro
Diogo on his body of work
“These works were created as a response to the speed of our culture. A negative side effect of this is that beauty is often missed or ignored. Beauty can be conceptualized as balance and structure shown through simplified geometric shapes. The subject of a train station was purposely picked to symbolize a connection between an individual’s transient experience and an impersonalized public environment – an area created with the sole purpose of having people move through and from. The works show the potential of architecture and its environment.”
Hear from Award Judge Joseph Rumi
“Diogo’s architectural subjects of transit locations, devoid of the ephemera of public life, invite viewers to stop and look at what they would typically miss during a busy commute. His minimalist compositions, use of colour and light, highlight the beauty in the structures and spaces we interact with daily. Of particular note are his painting title ‘Brampton Go Station # 16’ and ‘Mount Please #3.’”
— Joseph Rumi, President of Rumi Galleries
The Gladstone House Award
Marianne Sung
Marianne on her practice
“As a landscape painter, my work begins with photographs taken during nature walks in Toronto and travels across Canada and abroad. These images, along with memories and imagined scenes, form the basis for studies I develop in my home studio. I experiment with colour, marks, and shapes to translate these sources into expressive compositions. Using acrylic paint, I focus on the foreground and middle ground, allowing the landscape to emerge with many layers. Through varied, direct brushwork, I dissolve solid forms into shimmering, high-contrast colours that reflect the vibrancy of trees, mountains and the emotional tone of a place. A warm underpainting, often using pink, remains visible to unify the composition and evoke serenity, and nostalgia.”
Hear from Award Judge Lee Petrie
“Marianne Sung’s gestural landscapes may immediately feel familiar and recognizable as locations in Ontario and Quebec. But her use of pale pinks and purples transforms them into places both beautiful and magical. While the landscape may be rugged and remote, her palette and soft lines suggest her love for and connection to the locations.”
— Lee Petrie, Curator, Gladstone House
Fun Rapid Fire with the painterly award winners
Get to know Ravjot, Diogo and Marianne. What fuels them, inspires them, and shapes their practices…
Matcha, tea or Coffee?
“Definitely Tea—a strong Indian masala tea.“
— Ravjot
Your non-art hobby?
“I’m also a foodie. I experience food as multi-sensory art that you
can taste, smell, touch, see and hear! I love trying new restaurants, simple everyday cooking and easy baking for loved ones.“
— Marianne
Your dream artist residency location?
“NYC or Tokyo, both cities have a metro system where its metro map looks like a game of chutes and ladders. I think I could probably spend several years in both cities just painting without running out of source material but unfortunately both would be quite expensive to explore.“
— Diogo
What has been the most unexpected source of inspiration for you?
“Classical Indian Raag music. The way a raag unfolds and gives new depth to each lyric often stirs emotions I didn’t even know I was carrying.“
— Ravjot
One word that describes your style?
“Casual.“
— Marianne
