Based in Montreal, Canada, Harj Bains is classically trained in animation, having studied at The Arts Institute in Bournemouth, UK. He has worked in the animation industry since 2010, with professional experience spanning London, Berlin, Vancouver, and Montreal.
In his independent art practice, Harj Bains is drawn to the human figure and to the quiet beauty found in everyday life. Beginning with a digital approach using an iPad and stylus, his practice has since evolved toward oil painting and charcoal drawing, which now form the core of his work.

Also

Harj Bains has a deep appreciation for the medium of painting and strives not only to capture the way light interacts with and illuminates the world, but also how it conveys warmth and emotional resonance. Though still early in his journey as a painter, his passion for the medium is evident throughout his work.
Rather than aiming for strict representation, Bains believes photography already fulfills that role. His goal is to emphasize and heighten what he finds beautiful in the world before him. Employing a full range of painterly tools, he explores and pushes drawing, color, value, edges, and composition to create expressive and intentional compositions. His artistic influences include John Singer Sargent, Isaac Levitan, Richard Schmid, Costa Dvorevsky, and Mark Tennant.
For Bains, impressionistic realism bridges the physical form of the world with the lived experience of a moment, extending beyond observation to communicate sensation and presence through brushwork.
Outside of his visual art practice, Bains is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and has trained in submission grappling for over fourteen years. Over time, he has come to appreciate the idiosyncratic nature of the discipline, viewing it as a distinct and deeply personal form of physical expression.

IMDB CREDITS

• • StarBeam 2020-2021 - TV Series - Animation Department
  • The Witness - 2015 - Feature Documentary - Animation Department
  • Barbie Mysteries - 2024-2025 - TV Series - Visual effects
  • Isabel & Nicki's Super Duper Twin Adventures - 2023 - TV Series - Designer
  • Sarah & Duck - 2013 - TV Series - Design
  • Brown And Friends - 2022 - TV Series - FX and Motion Graphics Supervisor

Public Exhibits & Talks

• • 2023 - Art Direction for Animation, Panel Discussion - Bentonville Film Festival
  • 2024 - Montreal Museum & Art Gallery - Emerging Artists Exhibition - Exhibitor
  • 2025 - Gallery At Cafe Lali - Exhibitor