Carla Forrest

I approach art as an attentive observer of the soul, seeking to illuminate the presence, wonder, and inherent dignity of nature and life. My work invites viewers to value both place and person within a space of spirit and heart, and to carry that sense of awareness into their own environments. In an increasingly digital world dominated by flattened imagery and diminished physicality, I strive to restore depth, form, and authentic passion. My paintings emphasize a dynamic, tactile presence that engages the viewer’s sense of touch as much as sight. Direct observation and immersion in nature are central to my practice. As I paint, I reflect on scale and humanity’s relative insignificance within the vastness of natural elements—sky, mountains, rivers, foliage, and fauna. I am deeply receptive to light, its warmth and coolness, and the interplay of highlight and shadow, recognizing the sun’s nurturing role within the cycle of life. The western landscape informs my palette and sculptural forms, revealing full-spectrum color and organic, stellar shapes rather than simplified greens, blues, or rigid geometry. My paintings emerge by applying multiple layers of color and marking, created with a range of tools and materials. Shifting between thin and thick applications, transparency and opacity, the surfaces develop rich depth and physicality. These layered textures invite the viewer into a multidimensional space where the soul of creativity can be felt, not merely seen.

Contemporary artist Carla Forrest paints multi-layered, textural works inspired by direct observation of nature and life. Forrest attributes her love of expressionistic mark-making to her undergraduate study of sculpture and modernism. She is a first-generation Ukrainian American who is captivated by the color and value contrasts of contemporary expressionist works. Honored as a Local Treasure by the Albuquerque Arts Business Association, Forrest’s personal artistic mission integrates awareness of environmental conservation, community connectivity, and creativity. As the first-elected President of the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, Forrest expanded the fledging non-profit’s integrated mission into an artistic community dedicated to preserving and promoting painting en plein air—in the open air or outdoors—and an internationally recognized artistic organization that heartens public awareness about the natural, historic, cultural, educational, and recreational aspects of conservation and critical water issues in New Mexico. Forrest obtained her Bachelor of Arts in studio art from State University of New York, Master of Science in Teaching Visual Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology, and Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Learning and Instructional Technologies from University of New Mexico.

2-D, Collage/Mixed Media