Alberta Artist JP Forget 

From an early age, JP Forget liked to draw. He would sketch images of lakes, trees, rivers, mountains, and wildlife. After joining a Young Naturalist club in his early teens, JP would draw animals, birds, plants, and trees as part of the monthly assignments dispensed by the club. The college biology classes offered another outlet for JP’s drawing interest and skills.

JP painted a first oil on canvas scene forty-three years ago. It was a scene depicting distant mountains, a river with rushing water, rocks, and evergreen trees. Then came many years filled by other occupations, and away from drawing and illustrating. Finally, a few years ago, JP seized the opportunity to return to drawing and painting.

JP favors a traditional approach to painting with an eye on archival methods, guaranteeing the best chances that a work of art will be passed on from generations to generations.

While JP thoroughly enjoy the process of painting in studio, he relishes the challenge of plein air painting. Capturing the light, shadows, colours and emotions of a scene accurately and quickly, as it all changes before one’s eyes, super-charges the painting experience. Add to this the fact that one is outdoor, and as JP likes it, near a mountain river or lake, with the scent of pine trees or fall leaves on the forest floor, and one has all that is needed to produce an authentic painting.

Living in West Central Alberta, JP finds inspiration daily as he travels amongst the foothills and eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies, absorbing its wild intricacies. From the intimate bend of a flowing creek to the intense vistas of the Rockies, to the curved shapes of aspens coloured by the fall’s frosty nights, JP is surrounded by scenic majesty.

"I paint the fleeting, yet stunning, instances when light and shadows intensify our outdoor experiences, and offer the viewers the opportunity to relive these magical moments in their day-to-day lives."

Art by JP