Canadian artist Tim Singleton celebrates queer expression during Pride Month
Pride Month is an important time for Tim Singleton.
For the Toronto artist, it’s a celebration of loving yourself unapologetically, a reflection on the great strides the Queer community has made, and an acknowledgement of the work that still needs to be done.
“I take Pride Month as a chance to truly exist as myself and relish in the beauty of Queer expression,” Singleton told Daily Hive in an interview. “Celebrating for me looks like seeing friends and chosen family dancing while remembering friends and loved ones that we have lost.
“However, it’s also important to remember that queer people exist outside of Pride Month. We’re so much more than a street party and in each queer person, there’s a wealth of knowledge, insight and joy that you can glean from.”
View this post on Instagram
To help reinforce the notion that we should be lifting up and looking out for the 2SLGBTQAI+ community every day and not just during Pride, Singleton has created a newly commissioned piece for Daily Hive, titled Pride Is Year Round.
“The inspiration for this piece is the reminder that Pride isn’t just a few parties in June and some corporate floats in a parade,” explained Singleton. “Around the world, it’s still not safe for queer people to simply exist as themselves. This work acknowledges the importance of advocating for all queer people, all year round, and not just when every company adds a rainbow to their logo.”
Pride Is Year Round (Tim Singleton/Submitted)
The freelance designer and illustrator has created artworks for a wide variety of clients, including CBC, Vessi, and Anthropologie. His designs have been turned into colourful T-shirts, eye-catching packaging, and powerful posters.
“My art is inspired by queer culture, drag queens, surrealism, nature, and more,” shared Singleton. “It’s really a big mish-mash of these external forces and how I interpret them. I’m a big observer and I think that comes across in my work with the references to pop culture, current events, and more.“
Singleton’s current influences are Warhol, Basquiat, Divine, Keith Haring, and other queer visionaries. However, he is also grateful to have had artistic inspiration close to home when he was younger.
Tim Singleton (Sammie Chan/Submitted)
“I’ve known I wanted to be an artist since I could hold a pencil. I was super fortunate to have an older brother who also was artistic and creative at a young age, so my parents were already tuned in and paying attention to those qualities.
“I very specifically remember drawing Mickey Mouse (or my rendition of him) when I was three or four. I think that, combined with my sheer love of animation, cartoons and storybooks, helped cement this idea of creation as expression for me.”
Singleton loves creative challenges and is always on the lookout for the next project or opportunity that makes him think. A recent one was a chance to collaborate with JUNO and GLAAD Media Award winners Tegan and Sara.
View this post on Instagram
“I actually got referred to Tegan and Sara by my friend and frequent collaborator Vivek Shraya, who has worked and created with them for years, when they were looking around for designers,” said Singleton. “It was a super fun process. We all got to know each other and they really gave me creative freedom to do what I wanted, which is always a dream.
“They really loved this eye-centric concept and had lyrics that worked beautifully with it, so that became the final shirt. They were super kind and supportive throughout the process and it was just a really cool opportunity to work with them. And it’s always amazing seeing people out there wearing something you designed, that never gets old for me.”
Singleton is hopeful that representation for the queer community continues to grow beyond Pride Month.
Tim Singleton/Submitted
“Embrace and celebrate queer creators every day of the year,” Singleton urged. “Watch queer movies, read books by queer authors, anything that brings the queer narrative into your day and supports a queer person.
“To me, representation creates a chance for learning and empathy and is one of the easiest ways for people to get a better sense of what the LGBTQ2IAS+ community is. It shows where our commonalities are and also how our differences are beautiful. Not something to fear.”
Community Partnership Content
Follow Channels and Categories