Sometimes It Never Came, 2010. Oil on canvas, 66" x 89".
Julian Forrest received his BFA from Mount Allison University and his MFA from the University of Alberta. He has received several awards and grants for his work, including aSSHRC Graduate Scholarship and three Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Awards, as well as creation grants from local, provincial and federal organizations.
In addition to their inclusion in the 2007 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art, Julian’s paintings have been shown provincially, nationally, and internationally (including recent exhibitions in Berlin and San Antonio), and are represented in several provincial and private permanent collections.
Julian is currently Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Alberta’s Augustana campus.
Surrogates, 2010. Oil on canvas, 66" x 89".
Before Julian's upcoming exhibition, i had a chance to ask him a couple questions and here is what he shared with us:
Could
you tell us a little about some of your work and how you discovered your
creative talents?
I started painting seriously about twenty years ago,
but truthfully I was drawing and painting and making things long before
that. They weren’t great drawings or
paintings but they were things I needed to make. I think I’ve always felt the need to figure
out the people and places around me by making something that reflected my
experience of those people and places.
Though I am originally from Eastern Townships in Quebec, I have spent
the last decade living in Edmonton, Alberta.
When I arrived here I was struck by the number of migratory, working-age
men who had come (in large part) because of the booming oil industry. So I started making work that reflected –
whether directly or allegorically – some part of that experience. I continue to be fascinated by portrayals of
men in film, in photographs and videos posted online, and in all of their
popular culture incarnations.
What
inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself motivated?
An art career can be a rollercoaster ride
emotionally, creatively, and in terms of that elusive thing called “success”. I try to stay level-headed about it, though
that’s easier to write than to practice. I travel as much as I can and when I
do, I go to galleries, I talk to artists, I take many, many photographs, and
inevitably I end up coming home excited to let that experience fuel my studio
practice. At the end of the day, I love
doing what I am doing – and that keeps me motivated. That and coffee.
Are
there any influences or anyone you look up to in the art world?
One of my great mentors, David Morgan, passed away late
last year. He was the first great art
teacher in my life, and a close family friend.
I still have a wonderful painting of his in my apartment.
I go through periods of infatuation with artists. I think we all do. Mine have run the gamut and include (in no
particular order) Francis Bacon, Peter Doig, Lucian Freud, Jeff Wall, Neo
Rauch, David Milne, John Kissick, Cy Twombly, Jenny Saville, Gerhard Richter,
Kerry James Marshall, and Richard Diebenkorn.
Of course there are also many friends, peers and
colleagues who I admire very much, and with whom I share stories, ideas,
grumblings, and rants.
How
do you separate the making of art and teaching art?
Well, one thing feeds the other – and not always in
the same direction. When I am excited
about something in my studio I try to create a project out of it that I can
bring to the classroom. Likewise, things
often happen in the classroom (when looking at a student’s work or after a
great discussion) that inform what I do back in the studio.
When I am interacting with students, my brain works
in a fairly analytical way. Back in the
studio, though I can be analytical, typically a different side of my brain
kicks in. I am there for long hours on end
(by myself) and I tend to work in a more selfish, reactionary way.
What
advice would you give to aspiring artists?
One thing I would suggest, beyond encouraging them
to keep at it, is to bring
people into their studio space (even if that studio is in the spare room or
basement). Feedback is crucial.
Everything in its Right Place II, 2010. Oil on canvas, 42" x 68"
Lastly,
is there anything else you would like to add, that people should know about
your upcoming show?
I think that about covers it. Thanks for coming!
Forest City Gallery thanks Julian for finding time to answer our questions,
and looking forward to seeing all of you on the night of the
Opening Reception: Friday, March 16th, 2012 from 7 to 10 pm
Julia C.
