Back Gallery

If you click on a painting you will see an unframed enlargement together with relevant details,including availability. If you wish to return to the main Galleries page at any time, either use the navigation buttons or click on the asterisk at the side of each painting.

THE BATEAU LAVOIR (1981), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistTHE BATEAU LAVOIR (1981)

It was in 1904 that Pablo Picasso moved into a studio in the Bateau Lavoir, located in Montmartre’s Place Emile Goudeau. Through experimental paintings such as Les demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), he began - with his avant-garde colleague Georges Braque - the Cubist revolution. My watercolour was shown in 1983 at The Reid Gallery in Guildford, Surrey. It is now owned by my parents, Kathleen and Geoffrey Forrest.

 

STILL LIFE ABSTRACTION (1982), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistSTILL LIFE ABSTRACTION (1982)

In the ‘70s and ‘80s I produced a lot more experimental pieces! This one, in Indian inks and wax, has - with hindsight - an element of homage to Cézanne and Matisse.

 

*

 

 

PLACE DU TERTRE, MONTMARTRE (1984), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistPLACE DU TERTRE, MONTMARTRE (1984)

After completing my M.A. at Birkbeck in 1980, I took a week’s break in Paris. The Place du Tertre, near Sacré-Coeur, seemed unequivocally to be an artists' square in those days, before the long march of the café tables. This watercolour, the first and better of two versions, derives from one of the last photos taken with an East German Adox camera. It expired soon after! I was lucky that, in this source shot, very few spectators or artists overlap and that there is a clear, undulating line of heads from left to right. *

 

BURNING THE STUBBLE, NEAR SANCERRE (1985), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistBURNING THE STUBBLE, NEAR SANCERRE (1985)

Sancerre is famous for its viticulture, but the region also boasts rich wheatfields - here, in the fiery aftermath of an August harvest. A second version of this painting was short listed for the RA Summer Exhibition in 1993, and was also commended by the topographical draftsman Dennis Flanders, RWS, RBA.

 

*

 

 

SARLAT IN THE DORDOGNE, AQUITAINE (1987), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistSARLAT IN THE DORDOGNE, AQUITAINE (1987)

It’s fun to experiment with different approaches, and here I used a more illustrative technique that selects quirky details of a busy market square.

 

 

*

 

 

 

AUXERRE (1987), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistAUXERRE (1987)

This watercolour was a commission.  It’s based on two photographs (the  buildings on the left are actually beyond the archway) that I took while on a wine tour in 1983. Auxerre, with its magnificent Gothic architecture, is mid-way between  Paris and Dijon, with the winegrowing region of Chablis nearby.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

FLOWER STUDY (1990), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistFLOWER STUDY (1990)

This is the first of two flower paintings commissioned by a fellow-member of Woking’s New Cinema Club. I don’t paint flowers very often, but here I enjoyed building up texture, contour and tone via successive washes of watercolour.

 

 

*

 

 

 

AUXEY-DURESSES, BURGUNDY (1982/90), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistAUXEY-DURESSES, BURGUNDY (1982/90)

In 1990 I substantially revised this oil painting, which now hangs in Woking College. The present image shows it as it was in 1982, though the view is based on a monochrome photo I had taken during a family holiday six years earlier. Auxey-Duresses, on the D973 after Volnay and Monthélie, produces prestigious wines, both red and white.

*

 

 

 

VENICE, TOWARDS SANTA MARIA DELLA SALUTE (1990), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistVENICE, TOWARDS SANTA MARIA DELLA SALUTE (1990)

This watercolour was a commission from the Head of English at Woking College. The photograph from which I painted it was rather blurred, though working from blurred (and/or monochrome) photos is a healthy challenge!

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

THE FRUGAL REPAST (1992 COPY OF PICASSO, 1904), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex Artist THE FRUGAL REPAST (1992 COPY OF PICASSO, 1904)

The Frugal Repast is one of the iconic images from Picasso’s Blue Period. Using Edding pens, I drew two versions of Picasso’s etching, one in brown, the other in blue. The task (a commission) was difficult, but it proved a fulfilling challenge.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

THE PLACE PIGALLE AT NIGHT (1992), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistTHE PLACE PIGALLE AT NIGHT (1992)

As with ‘Burning the Stubble’ (above), this was short listed for the 1993 RA Summer Exhibition. It represents the kind of highly detailed work I was doing at that time. The building that housed the ‘Narcisse’ nightclub seen in this painting was demolished some years ago, but the present restaurant and jazz club on that site pays homage to the past: it is named the ‘Nouvelle-Athènes’, after the Impressionist rendezvous that had once stood there.

 

*

 

LINCOLN CATHEDRAL WITH TENNYSON’S STATUE - 1992, by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistLINCOLN CATHEDRAL WITH TENNYSON’S STATUE - 1992

This was a submission for Lincoln Cathedral’s Christmas Card that year. In the event, a Turner was chosen (JMW rather than Ike or Tina!).

 

*

 

 

COPY OF 'COTTAGE' BY THERESA STANNARD (1992) , by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne Artist COPY OF 'COTTAGE' BY THERESA STANNARD (1992)

This, and the following copy, of In a Warwickshire Byway: Little Milton by Theresa’s father Henry John Sylvester Stannard, were painted for my parents’ home near Lincoln. The Stannards were a celebrated family of painters.

 

 

 

COPY OF 'IN A WARWICKSHIRE BYWAY' BY HENRY JOHN SYLVESTER STANNARD(1992) , by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex Artist

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

ELEMENTAL LANDSCAPE (1995), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistELEMENTAL LANDSCAPE (1995)

This large watercolour grew in my imagination from photos I had taken of Lincoln Cathedral: on the horizon from Bracebridge Heath, and a much closer view used for the detail of the Cathedral. Annie and Brian Connell, who bought this, have been wonderful patrons of mine for the past fifteen years.

*

 

 

 

BERWICK STREET MARKET, SOHO (1995), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistBERWICK STREET MARKET, SOHO (1995)

Given the degree of detail and the human figures present, this watercolour was a ‘task-and-a-half’! It’s based on a photo I took in 1982, a touch of nostalgia present in the low prices of fruit and veg, also the pound note (RIP) in the lower right hand corner. London’s markets remain some of the most vibrant in the world.

*

 

 

 

UNCOMMON MARKET STALL (1996), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistUNCOMMON MARKET STALL (1996)

This striking stall, in Common Market (EU) colours, was located near Strasbourg Cathedral. I came across it during a ‘European Awareness’ educational visit in 1991. I painted at least three versions of this, one of which sold at ‘Not the Royal Academy’ (Llewellyn Alexander Gallery, London).

*

 

 

 

 

STILL LIFE WITH WEDGWOOD PLATE (1996), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistSTILL LIFE WITH WEDGWOOD PLATE (1996)

I hope to be painting more ‘still life’ in the future! The Wedgwood plate seen here is a family heirloom. I enjoyed developing the reds in this small watercolour, which sold at a Woking Society of Arts exhibition.

 

*

 

 

 

 

PLACE DE CLICHY, PARIS (1999), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistPLACE DE CLICHY, PARIS (1999/2000)

I love the cacophony of city streets at night and seek to transcribe its sound when I paint them. This acrylic, and the watercolour that follows, are different views of the Place de Clichy, a favourite haunt of artists and intellectuals. In the left background of the acrylic is the Lycée Jules Ferry, opened by President Poincaré in 1913; the Métro station in the watercolour below retains some of its original Art Nouveau ironwork.

PLACE DE CLICHY, PARIS (2000), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex Artist

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

TILBERTHWAITE, THE LAKE DISTRICT (2000), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistTILBERTHWAITE, THE LAKE DISTRICT (2000)

This watercolour is based on a photo I took while on holiday in 1985 with my parents, who nearly forty years before had stayed at nearby Tilberthwaite Farm. The watercolour shown here is my fourth painting of ‘Tilberthwaite’; it was given to my mother on her 80th Birthday. This Lakeland scene (the land once belonged to Beatrix Potter) is to be found near Lake Coniston and ‘Brantwood’, the home of Victorian art critic and watercolourist John Ruskin.

 

 

 

THE BEGIJNHOF, AMSTERDAM (2002), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistTHE BEGIJNHOF, AMSTERDAM  (2002)

This watercolour sold at an exhibition mounted in Woking to coincide with the play ‘Vincent in Brixton’, which was then on tour. During his (subsequently abandoned) training for the priesthood, Vincent van Gogh attended the Begijnhof’s English Church (Engelse Kerk), seen on the extreme right.

*

 

 

 

WOKING PARK, SURREY (2005), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistWOKING PARK, SURREY (2005)

This painting, now in France, proves the value of working further on a piece. I added a second advancing line on the path, enhancing the dynamics of the scene; the connecting lines in the branches above the path interweave more fluently, and spots of red and pink by the right-hand conifers add vivid accents to the most shaded part of the picture.

*

 

 

ST. IVES, CORNWALL (2006), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistST. IVES, CORNWALL  (2006)

A picture can sometimes be said to be a creative synthesis of opposites (here, for example, rest and animation), passing through a succession of planes from foreground to background. In this painting I brought together elements from several photographs taken on that spring afternoon.

*

 

 

 

BARTON-ON-SEA, HAMPSHIRE (2006), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistBARTON-ON-SEA, HAMPSHIRE  (2006)

This was painted rapidly, better to convey the rising power of sea and sky, with a strong wind to fight. Airborne is a powered paraglider (sadly, not a pterosaur or mythic Orc!).

 

*

 

 

 

AU LAPIN AGILE CABARET, MONTMARTRE (2006) (1), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistAU LAPIN AGILE CABARET, MONTMARTRE(2006)

This remains one of the most celebrated cabaret in the whole of France. Here, Aristide Bruand, featured in Toulouse-Lautrec’s posters, regaled his audience with earthy chansons and insults. In the background of the first of these two acrylics is the house where Renoir completed A Ball at The Moulin de la Galette (1876).

 

 

AU LAPIN AGILE CABARET, MONTMARTRE (2006) (2), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne Artist

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LONG MAN, WILMINGTON, EASTBOURNE (2007), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistTHE LONG MAN, WILMINGTON, EASTBOURNE  (2007)

This is from a synthesis of four photographs that I took one late autumn day. Both in scale and in movement I sought to underline the contrast between human figures, horse and chalk figure. The Long Man himself is 235 feet tall but his origins are uncertain - some say New Stone Age, others 18th Century!

*

 

 

 

 

SUNSET AT BIRLING GAP (2007), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistSUNSET AT BIRLING GAP  (2007)

A commission, here is the second of three versions of this scene. I have used the tonal power of acrylic paint to express the drama of a setting sun and its transformation of sand and sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

BOULEVARD DE MONTPARNASSE AT NIGHT (2007), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistBOULEVARD DE MONTPARNASSE AT NIGHT  (2007)

The city’s buzz! I chose the names for the shop and restaurant fronts for their connections to the Fin de Siècle art scene in Montparnasse - for example, Mucha (the Czech poster designer); Denis (one of the Nabis, a group of Symbolist artists), and the sculptor Bourdelle, once a pupil of Rodin’s.

*

 

 

 

VOLNAY, BURGUNDY (2007), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistVOLNAY, BURGUNDY  (2007)

Volnay is celebrated for its fine red wine made from the Pinot Noir grape. This is how the scene looked when I photographed it in 1981, but when I returned in 2008 a satellite dish had been fixed to the balcony and the flowers had walked out in protest!

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

AT THE FISHING STATION, EASTBOURNE (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistAT THE FISHING STATION, EASTBOURNE  (2008)

This is the second watercolour I painted of this Eastbourne shoreline. It was bought at a Society of Eastbourne Artists exhibition by a couple from Nottinghamshire who thought it had captured the scene’s unique atmosphere. The third version is an acrylic - see Current Gallery.

*

 

 

 

 

CATAMARANS, EASTBOURNE (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistCATAMARANS, EASTBOURNE  (2008)

Here, I was intrigued by the sweeping geometry of masts and rigging and by the apparition of the illuminated pier, stretching out like some surreal ocean liner.

 

*

 

 

 

EASTBOURNE GARDEN UNDER SNOW (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistEASTBOURNE GARDEN UNDER SNOW (2008)

This is part of the back garden of a Victorian house (1884) in De Roos Road. It’s based on a combination of two photographs I took on April 6th 2008 - an unforgettable day’s snowfall in Eastbourne. See also two views of Watts Lane under Snow in my Current Gallery.

 

*

 

 

 

THE BATEAU LAVOIR, MONTMARTRE (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistTHE BATEAU LAVOIR, MONTMARTRE  (2008)

Again a synthesis, with the seated lovers on the right, full house elevation at rear, and foreground Bohemian (originally conventionally-dressed!) all originating in different photos I took on the same day in 1989. The Bateau Lavoir was a crucible of  avant-garde art (see also my 1981 watercolour at the start of this Back Gallery).

*

 

 

 

LE POLLET, DIEPPE (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex Artist

LE POLLET, DIEPPE  (2008)

This watercolour preceded the drawing (see Current Gallery) that was shown at the Centre Culturel de la Tourette, Tournon, in August 2008. The characterful architecture, atmospheric light and shade and female figure setting out for the town all help to evoke the curiosity of this scene.

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

MUSCAT GRAPES, ARDECHE (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistMUSCAT GRAPES, ARDECHE  (2008)

A part-abstraction from a hedgerow encountered on the same walk that produced The Cat (see Current Gallery), this watercolour was sold at the Tournon expo (see reference to Le Pollet drawing, above).

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

LE PONT-D’ARC, ARDECHE (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistLE PONT-D’ARC, ARDECHE  (2008)

One of nature’s most dramatic river landscapes, Le Pont-d’Arc in the southern Ardèche lends itself to a broad, painterly treatment. I enjoyed working the colour into this painting, especially when combining several colours on the brush at once.

*

 

 

 

 

ST.-FELICIEN, ARDECHE (2008), by Andrew G Forrest, Eastbourne ArtistST.-FELICIEN, ARDECHE  (2008)

I created this watercolour from two photos I took one sleepy Sunday afternoon in July 2008. The use of the second photo meant I could show the picturesque narrow street through the archway. As with 'Muscat Grapes' above, this sold at Tournon. The traveller will not regret a visit to Tournon, and just across the river lies Tain L’Hermitage, a key centre for the prestigious wines of the Northern Rhône.

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Archway, Annecy, by Andrew G Forrest, Sussex ArtistTHE ARCHWAY, ANNECY (2008)

I found this archetypal view on a day trip to Annecy while on a French language course in 1975 at Grenoble University. To me, this type of subject is immensely appealing: dramatic light and shade, richly-coloured roofs and intriguingly-textured walls.

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

The Village Meads

The Village, Meads (2008)

These gardens and allotments are in the middle of a square of cottages built for workers in 1894, during the reign of Queen Victoria.

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

Ardèche Landscape by Andrew G ForrestArdèche Landscape

In this painting, of a view from L’Hermet in the Ardèche, I worked on variations of the triangle to help underpin the composition. To convey a contrast between proximity and distance, I have saved the strongest tones for the foreground.

*