CHRISTINE FOREST, MD

My art work is intimately related to my work as a psychiatrist—feelings, situations, conflicts and psychological concepts I translate into colors that blend, move and take a new life of their own. Just as we always seek to look for the underlying meaning of what is being said in a session, I am creating in my paintings a visual of these deeper layers of perceptions. Abstract art is a wonderful way to express them since it is free, nonlinear and flowing. The experimentation possibilities are infinite, just like working with our thoughts and feelings, beliefs and dreams. I hope these visuals will trigger in the viewer echoes of their own perceptions and bring comfort in the knowledge that none of us is alone experiencing them. Human emotions are universal and art is just another way to connect with our own feelings in a compassionate embrace of others.

Waves
(Acrylic on Canvas, 30” High x 30” Wide)

This painting was meant to look very different. It started out as a landscape with waterfall. But it didn’t work out very well. So after adding layers and layers of color, texture and different brush strokes, the essence of the landscape with waterfall has been distilled into something new. This is not an unusual creative process for a painter. But what I think can be learned from it is the importance of staying open, being flexible, keep adjusting when things don’t work out as planned—and moving forward in a new, often better direction. In the postcovid era, when the world seems so different, we slowly understand we cannot go back to the way things were before the pandemic. Everyday we are confronted with things that are done differently now. Cultivating a flexible attitude is a better way to adjust and keep moving forward with less stress and angst. If I hadn’t stayed flexible in creating this painting, I would have stayed with the original idea that was not making me happy and was not a reflection of who I am as an artist. I would have probably never shown it to anybody. But the final version of this painting satisfies my aesthetics as it captures for me, not the image of waves, but the experience of gazing at them.

christineforestmd@gmail.com
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