Artist Statement
I began painting in my 50s, without formal artistic training, but with a strong creative instinct and the need to process what I was experiencing. My practice is rooted in emotional honesty and shaped through a process of layering, erasure, and discovery.
I work abstractly because it allows me to explore the internal — not to explain, but to evoke. Fragments of handwritten journal entries often appear in my paintings, allowing moments of memory and feeling to surface.
My work is not about answers but about holding complexity. I invite viewers to sit with ambiguity, to bring their own interpretations, and to find their own meanings. These paintings are spaces of resonance, not decoration — they exist to be felt, not solved.
Bio
Scott Forrest is an abstract painter based in Greenock, Scotland. He began painting in his 50s with no formal artistic training, though he has always been drawn to creative expression. His emotionally driven, process-led work emerged from a need to communicate experiences that couldn’t be articulated in words.
Forrest’s paintings are layered and intuitive, often incorporating fragments of personal writing. Themes of vulnerability, memory, and transformation recur throughout his practice. His work is not intended to be merely decorative — it challenges and invites emotional reflection, offering space for both disruption and stillness.
Since beginning his art journey, Forrest has exhibited across Scotland, won an award at The Big Art Show in 2023, and was published as part of Curtains with The Alchemy Experiment.
Exhibitions
February 2023 - Dual Show - Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow
July 2023 - Group Exhibition - Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock
September 2023 - The Big Art Show - Outspoken Arts, Paisley
January 2024 - Group Exhibition - Crow Cottage Arts, Gourock
May 2024 - Group Exhibition - Curtains - The Alchemy Experiment, Glasgow
August 24 - Solo Exhibition - The Art of Imperfection - Cass Art, Glasgow
July 25 - Solo Exhibition - Loss & Found - The Wyllieum, Greenock
Awards
Cass Art Award - The Big Art Show 2023
Publications
May 2024 - Curtains - The Alchemy Experiment