Carolyn Forrester
Oxford, OH
Artist exploring emotional landscapes through abstract painting. Inspired by nature, feeling, and the quiet beauty of becoming.
Message
Carolyn Forrester is an artist based in the US, whose work explores the emotional landscapes within. She grew up in rural Northwest Ohio, surrounded by farmland and faith—an area known as “the land of the cross-tipped churches.” Her earliest connection to art began in the stained glass windows of the ornate church she attended each Sunday. She was mesmerized by the color, light, and stillness. Carolyn began her creative career as a graphic designer, but eventually shifted paths to become a special education teacher, drawn to the joy of working with children. Throughout her teaching years, painting became her quiet form of active meditation—a space to process emotion, ease anxiety, and return to herself. Today, her abstract work moves between gestural marks, traces of the natural world, and pure feeling—capturing states of becoming, inner peace, and transformation. Her influences include the early abstracts of Georgia O’Keeffe, the emotive color of Joan Mitchell, and the raw mark-making of Cy Twombly.
Statement
My paintings are a reflection of my inner landscape. I create as a form of active meditation, where my thoughts drop away and I respond in the moment to what is showing up on the picture plane. It’s a way to deal with my busy mind, heal my emotional wounds, and expand my awareness.
My work often contains elements of nature, such as dappled sunlight and fractal patterns. It also contains sacred geometry, symbols, memories, and emotions. My goal is to express the sacredness of the present moment and the interconnectedness of life.
Each piece starts with painting on paper, choosing colors that express a feeling. I freely play with marks using brushes, trowels, palette knives, sticks, fingers, stamps, and ink. The abstract shapes and marks capture how I feel in the moment. I cut and tear the paper, which then is collaged onto a wood panel or canvas. I further develop the composition until it feels harmonious, by adding more paint, drawing with pencils, and scraping/sanding through layers. My goal with each painting is to take the viewer on a journey, like a portal to another world where they can experience magic and delight.