Quick Pick - Jonathan Forrest's Here and There

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Jonathan Forrest, “Roller Coaster,” JF418, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 66" x 48" (photo courtesy of The Gallery/art placement)

A new exhibition from abstract painter Jonathan Forrest, Here and There, is on now through Nov. 2 at The Gallery/art placement inc. in Saskatoon. Bold, large, colourful, these works are built on pattern, repetition, history and geography. 

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Forrest moved to Canada when he was a teenager. In 2013, he relocated to Vancouver Island but he still keeps a summer studio in rural Saskatchewan and now splits his time between the two provinces. 

The title of his new show refers to this geographical split, writes Levi Nicholat in the gallery notes, “acknowledging the influence of place and some of the ways it finds expression in the work. Not necessarily the visual aesthetics of the landscape — the differences in topography, sight-lines, or the quality of the light — but rather in how the studio environment and working pace contribute to the development of the paintings. Vancouver Island offers Forrest proximity to the comforts of home; studio time there is folded into his daily routine. The rural studio, on the other hand, necessitates an intensive and largely solitary way of working, longer days, limited contact with the outside world. Subtly, these factors change the work.” 

Forrest, who holds a master of fine arts from the University of Saskatchewan, has had work exhibited across Canada, including at Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art in Calgary, Michael Gibson Gallery in London and Diaz Contemporary in Toronto. His paintings are in various public and private collections including the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Dunlop Art Gallery, the Mackenzie Art Gallery and the Remai Modern. He is represented by Newzones. ■

Jonathan Forrest, Here and There, is on now through Nov. 2 at The Gallery/art placement inc. in Saskatoon

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