Jonathan Forrest

Jonathan Forrest is an abstract painter based in Canada. He divides his studio time between Vancouver Island and small town Saskatchewan. Forrest studied at the University of Saskatchewan receiving his BFA in 1983 and his MFA in 1991. Jonathan has participated in several artists' workshops including The Emma Lake Artists' Workshop (1985, 1988, 1991, 2001, 2003 and 2005), The "Saskatchewan Invitational artists' workshop", Emma Lake (2000), and Triangle Artists' Workshop, Brooklyn, NY (2002). His work has been shown in Western Canada in museums including the Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, The Edmonton Art Gallery and The Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina as well as commercial galleries including Art Placement, Saskatoon, The Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton and Newzones, Calgary. Public collections include the Canada Council / Art Bank, Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Edmonton Art Gallery, Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw Art Museum, Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan Arts Board, University of Lethbridge and the University of Saskatchewan.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Emma Lake Artists Workshop, August 2012, (participant), Elizabeth McIntosh
Emma Lake Artists Workshop, August 2009, (participant), Kim Dorland
Emma Lake Artists Workshop, August 2007, (participant), Monica Tap
Emma Lake Artists Workshop, August 2005, (organizer), Ron Shuebrook and Robert Christie
Emma Lake Artists Workshop, August 2003, (organizer), Clay Ellis and Karen Wilkin
Triangle Artists Workshop, Brooklyn, NY, October 2002, (participant)
Emma Lake Artists Workshop, August 2001, (organizer), Chris Cran
SIAW workshop, Emma Lake, SK, July 2000, (participant)
Emma Lake Artist's Workshop, July 1991, (participant), Kenneth Noland, John Gibbons, Terry Fenton & Nancy Tousley
Emma Lake Artist's Workshop, July 1988, (participant), Joseph Drapell, Harold Feist, Douglas Haynes & William Perehudoff
Emma Lake Artist's Workshop, July 1985, (participant), Karen Wilkin and Maryanne Harman

One-Person Exhibitions

"One Thing Leads to Another", Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery, Moose Jaw, SK. February 2 - April 30, 2023
"Colour Chorus", Michael Gibson Gallery, London ON, October 13 - November 19, 2022
"Playing in the Field of Form", Newzones Gallery, Calgary AB, April 2022
"Painter's Prerogative", The Gallery/art placement Inc., Saskatoon SK, September 16 - October 21, 2021
"One Thing Leads to Another", Art Gallery of Swift Current,Swift Current, SK. September 11 - October 30, 2021
"Keep on Keeping on", Michael Gibson Gallery, London ON, May 1 - 30, 2020
"The Other Side of Colour", Newzones Gallery, Calgary AB, October 26 - November 16, 2019
"Material Resonance", The Gallery/art placement Inc., Saskatoon SK, May 25 - June 27, 2019
"Colour Coherence", Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton AB, May 24 - June 9, 2018
"Building Blocks of Colour", Newzones Gallery, Calgary AB, September 16 - October 21, 2017
"Light and Matter", Michael Gibson Gallery, London ON, July 6 - 29, 2017
"Night and Day", The Gallery / Art Placement Inc., Saskatoon, SK, September 10 - October 6, 2016
"A Conversation with Colour", Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, AB, May 26 - June 14, 2016
"Open Source", Newzones, Calgary, AB, March 14 - May 2, 2015
"Field Notes",The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, May 2014
"Best Foot Forward", Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, AB, October 2012
"Loud and Clear ", Newzones, Calgary, AB, March 24 - April 28, 2012
"Character Study", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, November 2011
"Mind Over Matter", Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, AB, November 2010
"Splinter Group", Newzones, Calgary, AB, March 13 - April 17, 2010
"More Pieces of the Puzzle", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, November 2009
"Power Play", Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON, March 2009
"Cross-Section",The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, November 2008
"Off the Grid", Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, AB, June 2008
"Recent Work", Newzones, Calgary, AB, June 2007
"Recent Work", The Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, AB, June 24 - July 13, 2006
"Recent Work", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, November 2004
"Recent Work", The Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, AB, November 29 - December 23, 2003
"Recent Work", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, March 2002
"Recent Work", The Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, April 2001
"Recent Work", The Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, April 1997
"Recent Work", The Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, January 1997 (toured to the Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, March 1997)
"Salon Series", 1995, Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Sask.
"Paper Works 1989-1993", The Swift Current National Exhibition Centre, Swift Current, Sask., February 1994
"Studio Watch", The Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Sask. January 1994
"Recent Work", The Grand Forks Art Gallery, Grand Forks, B.C. 1993
"Recent Work", The Vik Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, September 1990
"M.F.A. Exhibition", Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, October 1990
"Recent Work", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, May 1990
"Recent Work", The Swift Current National Exhibition Centre, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, February 1990 (Toured to Moose Jaw Art Museum , June - July 1990)
"Recent Paintings and Sculptures", The Francis Morrison Library, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, January 1989
"Recent Work", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, February 1988
"Jonathan Forrest, Recent Paintings and Sculptures", Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, July - August, 1987

Two-Person / Feature Exhibitions

"Jonathan Forrest and Brad Howe - Recent Works", Gallery Jones, Vancouver, BC, March 5 - March 30, 2016
"Squares and Stuff", A group abstract show featuring three new large works at Encomium Contemporary Art, Toronto, ON. April 2 - 30, 2005
"Materialism (2)", Art Gallery of Swift Current, Swift Current, Saskatchewan (Clay Ellis, Jonathan Forrest, Terry O'Flanagan), March, 2001
"Materialism", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, Sk. (Clay Ellis, Jonathan Forrest, Terry O'Flanagan), April, 2000
"Jonathan Forrest & Pat Service", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, March, 1997
"Jonathan Forrest & Scott Plear" The Vik Gallery, Edmonton, November, 1991
"Large Scale Paintings Featuring Works by Jonathan Forrest", Virginia Christopher Galleries, Calgary, Alberta, January - February 1991
"Studio Watch", The Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, December 1987 - January, 1988
"Jonathan Forrest and Kim Houghtaling", Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 1984
"Jonathan Forrest and Gary Pearson", B.F.A. exhibition, Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Sk. 1983

Group Exhibitions:

"Restless Geometry", Robert Christie, Laura Dutton, Jonathan Forrest, Robert Youds, Gallery Jones, Vancouver BC, February 28 - March 30, 2019
"Thick and Thin", Robert Christie, Jonathan Forrest, William Perehudoff, The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, November 15 - December 10, 2014
"This Train", Distinguished Alumni of the University of Saskatchewan Department of Art and Art History, The Kenderdine Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, 2010
"Abstraction: Three Generations", Bob Christie, Jonathan Forrest & William Perehudoff, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON, August, 2007
"Abstraction - Perehudoff | Christie | Forrest", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, April 14 - May 3, 2007
"Abstraction", Diaz Contemporary, Toronto ON, July 27 - September 2, 2006
"Spell", The Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, September 2005 (co-curated this exhibition with Jordan Broadworth - travelled to the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, November, 2006 and the Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, ON, July 2006). Catalogue
"Three Generations - London, UK", APT Gallery, London, England, January 20 – 30, 2005
"Sunscreen", Newzones Gallery, Calgary, AB, July 10 - Aug 28, 2004
"Three Generations - Perehudoff / Christie / Forrest", Kenderdine Art Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK., April 23 - July 4, 2004
"New Abstraction", The Gallery / Art Placement, Inc., Saskatoon, SK, October 18 - November 6, 2003
"The Intangible", The Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, September 12 - November 16, 2003
"Lodestar", The Kenderdine Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, July 14 - August 24, 2003
"The Power of 10", Vanderleelie Gallery, Edmonton, AB, February 8 - 28, 2003
"Contemporary Canadian Abstraction: A Selection", The Kenderdine Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, April - June 1994
"Recent Acquisitions", The Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, March - April 1994
"Saskatchewan Symbiotics in the Visual Arts - Harvest 20 Years", Maison de la culture Cotes-des-Neiges, Montreal, Oct-Nov. 1992
"Within Range", (Touring) Organized by the Prichard Art Gallery, University of Idaho, USA, Itinerary:
June/July 1990, Prichard Art Gallery, U of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho October/November 1990, Paris Gibson Square, Great Falls, Montana, January/February 1991, Missoula Museum of the Arts, Missoula, Montana, USA.
"Recent Contemporary Acquisitions", The Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, December 1988 - January 1990
"A Common Bond", The Swift Current National Exhibition Centre, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, 1988
"Saskatchewan Art", The Art Centre, University of New Brunswick, St. Johns, New Brunswick, December 1987, (Touring the Maritimes and Saskatchewan)
"Young Saskatoon Artists", The Francis Morrison Library, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, December 1986
"Works on Paper", The Wade Gallery, Vancouver, B.C., 1986

Collections

Canada Council / Art Bank
Canpotex International
Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina
Edmonton Art Gallery
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon
Moose Jaw Art Museum
Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, Regina
Norcen, Calgary
Nutrien
Saskatchewan Arts Board
Stantec, Edmonton
University of Lethbridge
University of Saskatchewan
Westburne Industries, Montreal
Wood Gundy, Edmonton

Articles

Gilbert Bouchard, "Rural immersion colours Saskatoon artist`s work", Edmonton Journal - "What`s On", June 6, 2008
Gilbert Bouchard, "Abstractionist`s work looks to the future, not the past", Edmonton Journal, The Visual Arts, June 23, 2006
Robert Christie, “Jonathan Forrest: New Works”, (catalogue essay, Art Gallery of Swift Current), 1990
Julia Dault, "Prairie Fields of Colour", National Post, April 15, 2004, B6 view PDF
Robert Enright, “Shaking Up All Over”, Border Crossing, Winter 2004 (“borderviews section”)
Terry Fenton, “Studio Visit”, (pamphlet for studio watch exhibition at the Mendel Art Gallery), 1994
Sky Glabush, “Three Generations”, Canadian Art, Summer 2004 (exhibition review) view PDF
Sky Glabush, "Pursuing Paint", the Mendel Art Gallery, Folio magazine, Winter 2000/01 (transcript of conversation between Glabush & Forrest)
Sky Glabush, "Materialism", New West Magazine, 2000 (exhibition review)
Piri Halasz and David Evison, "A Tale Of Three Cities", NY Arts Magazine , March, 2005
Helen Marzolf, "Jonathan Forrest: Recent Paintings", 1998 (essay for exhibition at the Dunlop Art Gallery)
Roald Nasgaard, "Abstract Painting in Canada", published by Douglas & McIntyre, 2007, p. 297
Douglas McLean, "Abstraction's Bold New Face", Galleries West, April 2007
Steven Ross Smith, "Playing the Angles", Galleries West, April 2007
Jeffrey Spalding, "Jonathan Forrest: Exploding Abstraction’s Histories", Canadian Art Online, April 2010
Karen Wilkin, "An Inadvertent Vanguard", The Hudson Review, NY, Spring 2002
Karen Wilkin, "Northerness and Other Considerations: At the Museums and Elsewhere", The Hudson Review, NY, Winter 2004

Articles by the artist

"Artists by Artists - Jonathan Forrest & Nancy Lowry", exhibition essay for the Mendel Art Gallery, 2002
"Spell" Catalogue text - "Western Artists", The Mendel Art Gallery, September 2005
"Spell" Catalogue text - "Joint Statement" co-authored with Jordan Broadworth, The Mendel Art Gallery, September 2005