New Watercolor Paintings of Punjabi Women
“Isolated” New Paintings by Ameen Dhillon, was on view for the month of June 2022 at New Leaf Editions and Gallery on Granville Island, in Vancouver BC.
30”x22” watercolor Riding Side Saddle Buy now
My daily painting practice of small watercolors produced over 200 paintings over 2 years, several themes emerged as I relived my trips: storefronts, urban landscapes, village and neighborhood scenes, women in daily life and my own family. The Punjabi women, was one that I wanted to explore further. The figures that were in crowded market places, walking in groups on the side of a dusty road or catching up on village gossip now walk alone into a patterned landscape. I pulled them out, isolating them on the paper as we were also isolating at home.
View from the doorway
The original paintings were small, intimate 5x7 watercolors that begged to be viewed from up close. For my exhibition in June 2022, I repainted many of the figures in a 30“x22” format. Without a frame to contain them, the figures walk away from the viewer into abstracted landscapes, proud, quiet, strong.
30”x22” watercolor Sukhna Lake Buy it
My heritage is Punjabi, a state in northern India where my parents and ancestors are from. My great grandfather came to California in 1898, my grandfather in the 1920’s and my father came to the west coast of Canada, to Vancouver Island in 1933. They followed the route of so many other men from the same small area in northern India. Punjabi’s are a strong, adventurous, proud, hardworking people. Times were bleak in India and they needed to provide for their families, it was an extremely hard life.
30”x22” watercolor School Girl Stride Sold
My mom and dad had a large age gap between them. My father had lost his son and 1st wife during childbirth and would re-marry many years later. When my mom first arrived at Vancouver International airport in the the early 1950’s, her first stop was the department store. She would no longer be able to wear her traditional clothes, the modest, flowing fabrics of a salwar kameez. Instead, a long pleated skirt, short sleeved blouse, new shoes and a scarf for her head. The Punjabi suit would not be seen in public, they had to assimilate. When I was in high school, we never spoke of our heritage and where we were from, it was the 1980’s and it felt like not much had changed. Racism was a daily reality.
Getting ready for the opening.
A huge thank you to all the old friends, new friends and family that came out to support me on the evening of the reception and throughout the month of June.
The Gallery at New Leaf Editions
Travel has always inspired me. Covid gave me the opportunity to revisit so many memories and take inspiration from over 30 years of my own travel photos. Enjoy the journey.
