Govinder Nazran

Govinder Nazran  (1964 – 2008) born in Birmingham and raised in Bradford.

Govinder studied graphic design at Bradford College (1980-1983), then at Lincoln Art College for a HND in graphic design, specialising in illustration.

After completing the course with distinction he worked in London and Cambridge as a freelance illustrator, before moving back to Bradford, where he married and settled in Saltaire.

Govinder found work as a designer for a local greeting card company, but moved into photography and became a photographic art director, directing fashion shoots at locations across the world.

In 1993, he returned to greeting card design on a freelance basis, but also worked in his own time on his own artwork designs.  In 1999 he decided to go solo and approached Washington Green, the fine art publishers, with a portfolio of his work.  They accepted him and promoted his work until his untimely death in 2008.

He became well-known for his animal paintings and sculptures of animals, particularly of cats and dogs, but also of horses and elephants.  His first published work was the ‘Cat Walk’ prints, which quickly sold out. Govinder’s animals often came in pairs, representing opposite traits.

In 2004 Govinder became the ‘Best Selling Published Artist’ in the industry’s Fine Art Trade Guild Awards and he enjoyed 2 sell-out tours in Japan where his work was highly revered.

He died on December 30, 2008, in intensive care at Bradford Royal Infirmary, six days after a seizure and a fall at his home.