Julian Forrest
The Tantramar landscape has inspired writers and artists from Charles G. D. Roberts to Alex Colville. More recently, several younger artists have drawn inspiration from the marshlands. Among them is Sackville's Julian Forrest. He's an accomplished painter, writer and broadcaster whose interpretations of the region energize and surprise his audience.
The primary focus of his painting is an investigation of the Tantramar landscape, which he depicts through bold colours and simple forms. In several of his large paintings, he uses towers to break up the picture plane: "The towers are, for me, an axis around which the Tantramar revolves. Their conspicuous presence is unmistakable, and there is something magnificent about their location on the flat marshes that galvanizes my work."
Like the landscape he paints, much of Julian's creativity centres around the CBC towers. While he doesn't broadcast on short wave, he does cover the arts for CBC radio's local Arts Report. As a freelance writer and broadcaster, he has featured regional artists, writers, musicians, students, barbers, beekeepers and dentists. His popular 'diner series' explored Mel's Tea Room in Sackville, Reggie's in Saint John and the illustrious Hampton Diner. "I love small towns," Julian says, "And diners epitomize the best of small towns - the sense of community."
Community, according to Julian, particularly the Sackville community, is the lifeblood of an artist: "Sackville is a great artistic environment. Appreciation of the arts is one of the main reasons I stayed after graduating from Mount Allison's Fine Arts program in 1995. I could see that it was possible to make a living here as an artist. The cost of living is low and the support is high."
Julian credits patrons such as businessman David Chambers and Robert and Jane Eaton for much of his success. Unlike some of us who paint ourselves into a corner, Julian eventually painted himself out of his apartment. When his canvasses reached proportions of 5 feet by 10 feet, the Eatons came to the rescue, offering him space in the barn behind their house. "Imagine that happening in Toronto," Julian says. "The support I get in Sackville lets me concentrate on my career and build continuity into my work."
In the decade that Julian has been painting, his work has been shown in galleries in Sackville, Fredericton, Saint John and in collections in Canada and Ireland. He is one of few Canadian artists to receive two awards from the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. The awards are presented to a handful of artists from an international pool of candidates.
His relatively quick rise is indicative of the intensity that characterizes every aspect of Julian's life. He talks quickly, he moves quickly, he paints quickly. "I try to capture the freshness of a sketch," he says, "The immediacy. The energy."
From playing hockey with the students of Edwards House where he is a Don, to promoting his colleagues in ARTSatlantic magazine, to creating works of art, his passion - and sincerity - distinguish him as a man with a mission he is sure to achieve.