An article on Tom Forrestall's notebooks in The Spectator

A follow up article by Larry Powell on my father's notebooks.

http://www.novanewsnow.com/section/2011-10-24/article-2784954/The-Notebooks/1

--Monica Forrestall

Wonderful article "Being Tom Forrestall" in the Spectator newspaper

http://www.annapoliscountyspectator.ca/Arts/2011-10-22/article-2784356/Being-Tom-Forrestall/1#.TqNdDJTF-I8.facebook

--Monica Forrestall

Tom Forrestall's exhibition at Elliott Lewis Gallery in Vancouver

Some installation shots of dad's one person show of paintings in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Dad opens his first show in Vancouver tonight at the Elliot Lewis Gallery

 Dad flew out to Vancouver yesterday from Halifax for his first gallery show there, at the Elliott Louis Gallery. His girl friend, Mary O'Regan went along. They will enjoy five days there, and dad said will be kept busy with interviews and talks.

http://www.elliottlouis.com/

Information below on the exhibition details are from the gallery's website.
"Tom Forrestall, "Master Works" (showing to Oct. 1st)

Previewing September 7 - 15

Opening Reception, Thursday September 15th, 6:30 - 9:00 pm

This significant collection of works dating from the mid 1980's to present includes 22 of Forrestall's signature egg tempera paintings on panel and 19 of his luscious watercolours.
Forrestall, who lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is represented in virtually every major public collection in the Maritime Region, Central Canada and beyond, including solo exhibitions in prominent galleries worldwide. Forrestall is one of the four great Canadian "magic realist" painters (the others being Mary Pratt, Christopher Pratt and Alex Colville). This is Tom's first major exhibition in Vancouver.
The artist will attend the opening reception and be here to sign copies of his book, "Tom Forrestall, Paintings, Drawings, Writings" by Tom Smart. "

--Monica Forrestall

Home is Where the Art (Making) is

Dad doing a watercolour at Victoria Beach.

One of the joys of summer time spent together as a family is all the art making we collectively do; both separately and together. From sketching with dad, to creating art works at events like Paint The Town and submitting artwork for art competitions like the Annapolis County Exhibition, to making a short-film that a few members of my family helped work on, the best part of all is that we are together. Here are some photos of some family and our summer art--and film--making.

A watercolour of toadstools I made while participating in the Paint The Town ARCAC benefit
event in Annapolis Royal August 20th and 21st. 

Everyone sketched while we waited for the food to arrive at a local Annapolis Royal restaurant. 

                                                      Dad holding up the portrait I did of him.

Dad sketching Goat Island from Clementsvale side. Gorgeous sunny day, and the seagulls, 

which reside on this side of the island were "talking" so loudly at points dad and I

 couldn't hear each other speak.

                  Max and his local birds color marker drawing which won a second prize ribbon 

                                  at The Annapolis County Exhibition art show.  

Max and his pastel Loon drawing that won a third prize in the children's art category of the art competition at The Annapolis County Exhibition. 

Marie drawing at the First Annual Peace Party in Young's Cove on August 14th.

Liz makes an Origami frog (with me) at the Theme Park. Liz's is the one with the fly on its tongue!

I won a couple of ribbons for a watercolour self-portrait of mine at the Annapolis County Exhibition; a second prize plus a prize for the best watercolour in the show! 

One morning all three of us were making art in our porch studio at the same time. Kerry made some coffee dipped monochromatic pieces, Max was working on a drawing and I was finishing a piece for the Paint The Town show.

Curphey Forrestall is at the moment beginning a large block long mural that he won a big commission for in competition with several other muralists and artists! It will involve scenes of Nova Scotia 

and this project will take him most of the month of  September.  

Frank Forrestall is in post-production on a dark version of a  short film "Jack & Jill" he directed this summer that he describes as a "haunting fable about Love, Death and Spiritual Despair." Curphey Forrestall acted as Art Director while our amazing niece 

Millie Webb did all the hair and make-up. 

http://www.indiegogo.com/Jack-Jill-Short-Film

Renee was one of 8 artists chosen chosen to take part in CBC Radio's Sharing The View calendar 2012. Here is some of the information off the CBC website plus a link

 below to a podcast interview of Renee speaking about her work. 

"Announcing the Final Eight!

Wow, what a challenge, to choose eight painters from among the 137 imaginative submissions! Thanks to our Marquee Artists for the time and care they dedicated to the selection process.
The eight artists chosen to take part in Information Mornings 2012 Sharing the View Calendar are:
Virgina McCoy, painting the Inverness racetrack.
Wayne Boucher painting an Annapolis Royal sunrise.
Al Chaddock painting Mahone Bay
Renee Forrestall painting Peggy's Cove.
Sarah Jane Conklin painting a fall landscape.
Alan Bateman painting the fields of the Annapolis Valley.
Carol Pye painting the church at Grand Pre.
Darren Bennett painting the Commercial Cable Office in Canso."

http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningns/features/sharingtheview/

A fam sketch trip resulted in dad's beautiful watercolour (top left), Renee's wonderful oil painting (top right),
my unfinished watercolour (bottom left) and Max's landscape watercolour (bottom right).

My finally finished watercolour of Queen's Anne's Lace in front of a lobster boat for sale at Victoria Beach.

Renee sketching at Victoria Beach in August.

Max stands next to his watercolour of a Tree Swallow on the French Basin trail at the Silent auction
of The Paint The Town benefit event in Annapolis Royal in August.

I'm standing with some of the watercolours I made for Paint The Town art benefit in August,
which I did  with Max this year. The watercolour closest to my head is of Max bird watching.

And I'm currently writing and illustrating a fun children's chapter booklet 

as a project for a restaurant chain. It will be distributed in 120 restaurants all over the United States. Exciting!

--Monica Forrestall

"For The Love of Art" Natalie Forrestall memorial Art Prize for Best Child Art Entry at The Annapolis County Exhibition 2011

Renee, dad and I gathered up art supplies and an art book to put together the prize we give annually in our dear mother's honor. Since mom was a children's art teacher, and always encouraged and inspired us to make art, for the last six years since she passed away, we have done this.

I delivered this years bountiful basket of sketchbooks, drawing material, watercolor paint, paper, brushes etc...to the Annapolis County Exhibition Art Show on Thursday, August 18th. Dad very generously gave a signed copy of his retrospective art book. It's such a wonderful thing to be able to do for the budding artists of the valley, who have no places to buy quality and varied art materials like these. I got to see the winning entry, a lovely charcoal still life of pears. Well done!

Here is a photo of dad and I with the basket, before I delivered the prize.

The note I included in the basket for the winner.

And here is a photo of the winning artwork, a pastel drawing of two pears by Kenzie Taylor. Well done, and congratulations!

Tom Forrestall has two flower themed painting in show Flora at Gallery 78

Dad's  beautiful egg tempera paintings of two flower themed works are on display for the next few weeks at Gallery 78 in Fredericton.

There are a couple of egg temperas of dad's in the show.

Tom Forrestall's painting hangs at The National Gallery of Canada

Here are a few shots of an early painting of dad's hanging in the National Gallery of Canada.

A shot of the installation.

And another.

March 13th, 2011 In loving memory

Five years ago we lost our loving mother and wife. Although a day doesn't pass that we don't think of our little mother, on the fifth anniversary of her passing, we took time as a family to reflect on this extraordinary lady, whom we had the privilege of loving and her life.

As my sister Renee reminds us, "The most important thing in our mother's life was her faith and living a life that was true to her beliefs. A devoted Catholic, mom chose to become a Franciscan because of her passionate love of Saint Francis of Assisi. Our mother loved animals and was dedicated to a life of simplicity. She adopted vows of poverty and went to church every day. She emptied her pockets for anyone in need. My brother Frank said, "Every day I get to experience mom's boundless capacity for love through her grandchildren, who still affectionately recall her as Grandmaman." Monica remembers her lifelong commitments to good works, for which she insisted on not discussing or promoting herself for doing. From the fifteen years she served meals to homeless gentlemen at Hope Cottage to her home visits and tireless work for the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. Anyone who stopped and and asked her for change she dug into her pocket or handbag. Natalie truly believed everyone was equal in the eyes of god, and she treated everyone the same, from the Premier of Canada to the man who found their way to Hope Cottage for a meal. Mom selflessly supported the work and dreams of her husband, children and grandchildren with a heart filled with love.
My dad, Tom Forrestall sums it all up, "To this darling lady, I owe everything I have."
We love you mom, then, now and always.


Natalie LeBlanc Forrestall on her wedding day.

Dad's 75th Birthday today

Dad celebrated his birthday today by painting and having a party with his family.

Tom in Karsdale, Nova Scotia. He is standing near the end of a rainbow.

Tom Forrestall's painting hangs at The Armory show

Tom Forrestall's painting of a figure in a landscape scene on the far right.

Dad's egg tempera painting was chosen as one of the pieces to be exhibited in the Contemporary Canadian Art show in The Art Dealer's Association of Canada booth at Pier 94 at The Armory 2011. The painting was loaned by his Toronto gallery Robinson Kinsman, who had this painting in a one- person show of dad's a few months back.

I visited the booth on the very busy Saturday afternoon to see the painting installed and take some photos of dad's beautiful painting. The imagery in this egg tempera painting is a quiet scene of downtown Dartmouth. Here are some shots of the booth (above).

Close-up of the painting.

Max taking an upclose look at his
grandfather's painting in the booth.

Here's an overview shot of part of the Armory from the stairwell that leads to the modern wing on Pier 92. This are is mainly contemporary European and South American galleries.

The Armory show as seen from stairwell leading to Pier 92. 

--Monica Forrestall

Auld Lang Sine: Remembering past friends and loved ones

The words 'Auld Lang Syne' literally translates from old Scottish dialect meaning 'Old Long Ago' and is about love and friendship in times past. The lyrics in the song referring to 'We'll take a Cup of Kindness yet' relate to a drink shared by men and women to symbolise friendship. 


Happy New Year.


above: Tom Forrestall and Natalie Forrestall, (who passed away in 2006), on their 
year long biking honeymoon in Europe. 

above: Steven Parrino (1958-January 1st, 2005), reading a newspaper in Paris near the Eiffel Tower.

above: Olivier Mosset and Steven Parrino in Staadt, Switzerland. 

John Armleder, Monica Forrestall, Steven Parrino, Staadt, Switzerland.

---Monica Forrestall

Dad and Frank continue nomadically wandering the (as Frank puts it) "Holyish" Land, armed only with a sketching box and a camera

Sporadic communication these days from dad and Frank as they wander around the Golan Heights region in the north east of Israel. Frank kindly posted some more amazing photos though, and is describing this as the trip of a lifetime.

left: Frank Forrestall and Tom Forrestall looking very happy indeed.

above: Dad paints Love sculpture

below: Dad and a Henry Moore

Tom Forrestall travels (and paints) in the Holy Land

Our dear dad, Tom Forrestall is fully immersed in his 6-week trip to Israel to create a series of paintings there. My brother, Frank Forrestall, who is a film maker based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is along for the adventure. Frank is carefully documenting the trip in video and taking photographs with the goal of making a film about their trip and dad's experiences while painting all over this extraordinary country. Dad managed to meet up with an old friend from the Annapolis Valley, Yehuda Mitklaf.

Frank is being a big mensch (for the non-Yiddish it means a person you would be happy to befriend and associate with, because you feel genuine in their presence) for keeping the rest of the family updated with stories filtered through his hilarious take on things. His photos add to the fun of hearing of their many adventures---and misadventures (broken stool and Frank learning the fine art of haggling to buy a new one.) From ten days in Jerusalem to two excursions to the Dead Sea and Massada, the mountain in the desert, and on and on, they are both having a memorable, moving and fun time together and we are all grateful Frank was free to accompany dad on this trip.
above: Tom Forrestall paints the old city of Jerusalem. 

Tom Forrestall with the Temple Mount in the background. 

Tom Forrestall (above) painting a scene of the wandering alleyways and streets 

of the old city of Jerusalem. 

Tom Forrestall with his watercolor of the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem. 

Frank (disguised as a native) with The Temple Mount in the background. 

The cemetary on the Mount of Olives.

The Western Wall at night. 

Ancient Hebrew tomb.

Frank shows his animators fondness for unusual sculptures.

Frank said the restaurant had a "no guns" policy. Much like umbrellas by the door, how will you remember which one is yours?

The desert view stretching out to the Dead Sea from half-way up the mountain to Masada. 

The square on the right is the remains of a Roman siege camp.

All photography taken and owned by: Frank Forrestall

-Monica Forrestall