Christopher Forrest is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning contemporary artist based in Brigantine, New Jersey, USA.
Interested in art from the age of 7, Chris always planned to attend art school, but studied engineering instead. He served 10 years in the army, with tours in Vietnam & Germany before then working for 10 years as a fulltime wildlife printmaker and painter. He followed that with 30 years in business before finally returning to painting full time in 2019.
Living on a NJ coastal island his focus now is on painting everyday marine environments with wildlife in oils and acrylics.
Christopher Forrest Artist Biography
Chris Forrest returned to art in 2019 following a 3-decade absence, concentrating on painting coastal scenes with wildlife. His background includes degrees in engineering, commissioned officer in the Army 10 years (tours in Vietnam and Germany, command and operations assignments, and ranger & airborne training), full time artist working primarily in hand drawn original lithography, and business for 30 years.
His work and or feature articles have appeared in American Art Collector, American Society of Marine Art Journal, Hyperrealism, Plein Air, Southwest Art, Prints, and Wildlife Art Magazines. He was listed in multiple editions of Who’s Who in American Art.
He is a signature member of the Society of Animal Artists, and affiliated with ASMA, International Guild of Realism, National Society of Acrylic and Oil Painters Society, and Oil Painters of America. In 2021 his work was juried into some dozen competitive national/international shows to include the Copley Society, ASMA, IGOR, NOAPS, & OPA.
He has camped, hiked, or wandered most regions of the US and Eastern Canada. He excels at grilling fish, tries to exercise, and in 2022 will celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary.
Christopher Forrest Artist Statement
When someone sees my work, I hope they get a sense of being in the outdoors, followed by the observation that the painter really enjoys creating his paintings, and finally that it all brings a smile. I am inspired, thrilled, and humbled by the challenges involved in depicting our wilderness areas and wildlife. I thoroughly enjoy the process from initially wandering in nature, planning a painting, the craft of applying paint, receiving my wife’s spot on critiques, making oh so many reworks & adjustments, to applying the final varnish. I am then excited to be moving on to a new work, exploring a new area, or seeing a new bird.
Visit Chris at the below links to learn more about him, his art and to buy or commission an artwork from him.
Website |
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