Issue 4 Artist Spotlight | Forrest Elliott

C+B: Tell us about yourself, Forrest!

FE: I am grateful to say that I am a full-time artist. I work between my studios in Southern Maine and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. After careers in event management and real estate, I shifted my focus back to my art practice a little over a year ago.

C+B: How has your relationship with your work changed since you first started creating?

FE: Oh this is a great question - well an obvious answer is my shift in mediums. I received my B.F.A. from the University of New Hampshire (2014), where I primarily worked in photography. Now, almost a decade later, I work in oils. I will say, no matter my medium of choice, my creative practice is rooted in process, and I must have a deep connection to the materials I work with.

C+B: Share some details about your process for creating.

FE: My approach to the creative process is highly intuitive. I consider my studio practice to be very sacred - more often than not, a process that I keep very private. Although, there are times where I’ll get together and paint with fellow artists or if I am out plein air painting. An ideal studio session for me happens mid-morning, after I am able to go about my morning routine. Music or a good podcast can always be found playing in the background.
I’ve come to realize I work best when inspiration is flowing and I have a true desire to create. If I don’t hear the call to create, I don’t answer - that’s when my wheels spin and not much productivity happens. That being said, I consider reading, visiting exhibitions or museums, cooking, immersing myself in nature all part of my greater creative process. So, if I am not physically in my studio painting, I am always doing something to fill my creative well.

C+B: What do you hope people take away from your work?

FE: I hope my work allows my viewers to experience what they are looking for most in their lives. Whether that’s a moment of peace, immense joy or time for self reflection.

Find and support Forrest here:

IG: @forrestkelliott

Website: http://www.forrestelliott.com

(Mountain Top, ©Forrest Elliott)

If my work was a meal it would be: Not necessarily a meal, but envision a candle-lit dinner with your closest friends filled with laughter and great conversations.

I would love to be able to share my work with: Mark Rothko. I’ve always been drawn to the scale and color of his paintings.

If I wasn’t able to paint, I would like to try: This one’s a toss-up. I would have to say either woodworking or ceramics. I have an affinity for handmade functional wares. This goes back to my deep connection to materials and process. Thankfully, I can indulge in supporting my fellow artists and friends who work in this modality - they help fuel my addiction to ceramic mugs.

My ideal creative retreat: A dreamy, week-long cooking retreat in Italy countryside. Somewhere where I can bring my paints and sketchbook to gather inspiration while exercising my creative muscles in a different way.