Nova Scotia fam time

One of my favorite family photos, that I set up in 1987. The whole family is here. From left; Renee (seated), Curphey, me (Monica), Jack, William and wife Anne, Tom Forrestall, (seated front) Natalie Forrestall (mom) and Frank.

Happy Father's Day to our dad and grand dad, Tom Forrestall

Dearest Dad,

We love you dad.  You are the inspiration and love of all of our lives, dad!
Your love and loyalty define who you are. Your talent and hard work inspires all of us every day!

We start and end with the family! (Anthony Brandt)

(from left): Monica, Renee, Jack, proud dad, our loving mother Natalie, Curphey (in mom's arms) Bobby (the bob-tailed cat) and William circa 1968.

xxxooo

Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. Brad Henry


Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible -- the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.

Virginia Satir 


Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing.

Jim Rohn

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.
Desmond Tutu

No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?

Elbert Hubbard



---Monica Forrestall

Day of sketching: Renee and Tom Forrestall and dear old friend Don Baker

After Renee's gala unveiling of the commissioned altar piece Renee designed for a new church, she and dad and dad's dear old friend Don Baker went on a sketching trip recently. Here are the two small paintings Renee made and the double watercolor dad created that lovely, sunny, joy filled afternoon.

Renee's painting of dad (right) and Don Baker (left) sketching a seaside scene.

Renee's smaller (warm up) sketch of scene. She pointed out a porcupine, far right, who entered and sauntered through the scene unexpectedly.

Tom Forrestall's watercolors that afternoon. He plans on these two being exhibited as one piece, 

framed together. Two views of one scene.

Renee says, "This is a journal sketch, in oil- I just sit & paint whatever comes

by, so a guy came along & took off his pants & jumped into the frigid ocean, some hikers walked by, others climbed the huge rocks in the distance, then a giant porcupine came along and looked at everyone, turned around and went back."

--Monica Forrestall

Frank Forrestall meets Moby Dick

 My brother Frank is a very talented animation artist, and for the past few months has been working with the 3-D animation team doing some of the special effects for a new Moby Dick movie, starring William Hurt as Captain Ahab and Ethan Hawk as Starbuck. This past week Frank was describing working on a 3_D Computer generated  (CG) model that will stand in for a scene for the film that was far too dangerous for an actor to fully create: Captain Ahab's final confrontation with the whale.
Frank is working out of a temporary studio quarters fora few months in downtown Halifax. The film was shot last summer in the town of Lunenberg, which stood in for the town of Nantucket, where the book "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville was set.
Although Frank enjoys working on his own independent projects in his studio, working with this same team of animators he has worked with in the past (on kids shows like Poko) is something he loves doing. The comraderie of "working as a team is a lot of fun", Frank said.
--Monica Forrestall

Tom Forrestall Retrospective opens at The Owens Art Gallery at Mount Allison University

Our dear dad's exhibition has just opened at his alma mater, The Owen's Art Gallery at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. This photo below of dad with curator Tom Smart, was from his lecture at this show at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 2 years ago.

Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings

14 May to 29 August

A major retrospective exhibition of approximately 70 paintings, drawings, and journal sketchbooks by Nova Scotia artist and Mount Allison University Fine Arts graduate Tom Forrestall, spanning several decades of his artistic career. Curated by Tom Smart and organized by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

Image (above): Tom Forrestall, Self Portrait, 14 December 1993

http://www.mta.ca/owens/exhibitions/index.php

above, from left: Tom Smart, Tom Forrestall show back of one of dad's paintings

 and the writings he does on each work. 

A companion exhibition, Tom Forrestall: BFA '58

A companion exhibition to Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings, spotlighting Tom Forrestall as a Mount Allison BFA graduate. This show includes works by Forrestall from the Owens' collection, as well as works by his teachers at Mount Allison-- Alex Colville, Lawren P. Harris, and Ted Pulford-- tracing Forrestall's artistic development and some of his influences.

--Monica Forrestall

Remembering the most wonderful mother of all time on Mother's Day

Tom Forrestall, Natalie Forrestall and Max Forrestall Schuss in 2002.

Mother's Day is always bitter sweet for me, overjoyed to be the mother of a wonderful son, who fills our days with sunshine. Still heavy of heart thinking of our extraordinary mother, so filled with generosity and love for everyone she met. Truly, one of the kindest people I've ever met. She'll never be forgotten by anyone who ever loved her, or had the good fortune of meeting her.

xxx to mom!

---Monica Forrestall

Kim Gordon's triple header: show of new paintings, book launch party and a performance by Bad Adult

    Jutta Koether (left) and Kim Gordon make noise together as Bad Adult.

Kim works over her amp.
Last night, the artist and musician Kim Gordon combined three events into one big party; her book launch party for her Rizolli book "Performing/Guzzling, " her opening of a show of her new paintings and sculptures and a performance piece, "The Promise of Originality".

              Max watching Jutha and Kim--- Bad Adult perform.

Kim performing. The gallery is so crowded, people went outside to watch her through the window.

Kim (far right) with one of her sculptures or painted sticks with stockings.

Kim up close mid-performance.

Kim's painting "Secret Abuse".

Kim's WWD online interview in which she talks about her art and life.
http://www.wwd.com/lifestyle-news/kim-gordon-making-noise-3056975//?full=true

--Monica Forrestall