Art Exhibit: “Northern California Scapes” / Paintings by Allen Forrest

Self-Portrait by Allen Forrest

Publisher’s Note

Please meet: Allen Forrest — Graphic Artist / Painter

Born in Canada, raised in the U.S., Allen Forrest works in many mediums: oil painting, computer graphics, theater, digital music, film, and video. Allen studied acting at Columbia Pictures in Los Angeles, digital media in art and design at Bellevue College, receiving degrees in Web Multimedia Forrest has created cover art and illustrations for literary publications; his works are on display in the Bellevue College Foundation’s permanent art collection. Forrest’s expressive drawing and painting style is a mix of avant-garde expressionism and post-Impressionist elements reminiscent of van Gogh creating emotion on canvas.

To create this exhibit, I selected 11 paintings from Forrest’s extensive portfolio – more than 600 pieces to date – that fit a theme I entitled: “Northern California Scapes”.

Allen Forrest writes: “Painting is a cross between a crap shoot, finding your way out of the woods, and performing a magic act. Each time I begin to paint I feel like I am walking a tightrope—sometimes scary, sometimes exciting, sometimes very quiet, and always, always surprising; leading me where I never expected to go. Doing art makes me lose all sense of time and place and go inside one long moment of creating. Whenever I feel a painting in my gut, I know this is why I paint. The colors are the message, I feel them before my mind has a chance to get involved. Color is the most agile and dynamic medium to create joy. And if you can find joy in your art, then you’ve found something worth holding on to.”

To see more: http://allen-forrest.fineartamerica.com/

Northern California Scapes

by Allen Forrest

Stinson Beach

(Oil on Canvas / 24 x 36)