Irina Forrester
AQ is our series of hardcover catalogs celebrating extraordinary women artists. Available on Amazon. Visit the AQ Catalog Webpage to learn more.
Irina Forrester, featured in AQ Volume VI, is a contemporary Russian-born British artist. She and her family moved to Singapore from London almost eight years ago. She received a formal education at Krasnaya Presnya Art School in Moscow, Russia, but her young family and work commitments meant that she had a long break before picking up her brushes again.
Moving to Singapore allowed Irina free time to renew her interest in art, and she has spent the last few years exploring various options to brush up on her skills and move forward. To blow away the initial cobwebs, she attended a series of short courses at LASALLE and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore and is now an active member of several of Singapore’s life figure and portrait drawing groups, where she continues to sharpen her observational skills. Most of Irina's work is representational, but recently she has been looking to shift it towards a fine balance between abstraction and realism. Her subject matter covers a wide range from still lifes and landscapes to portraiture and life drawing sketches.
She prefers oils to other mediums for its versatility in application but also enjoys acrylics, gouache, charcoal, and ink.
Irina exhibits regularly (45+ shows and art fairs in the last 4 years) and her works are in private collections in the UK, the USA, Europe, Russia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
www.irinaforresterfineart.com
What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you decide to commit to this path?
My journey as an artist began at the age of eight, when my parents enrolled me in local art classes led by two young graduates from the prestigious Secondary Art School named after V.I. Surikov, Moscow, Russia. Recognising my keen interest and potential, they generously took me under their wing and helped me to prepare for the entrance examinations to art school.
Could you share the story or concept behind your recent work?
I consider myself a visual storyteller. My work is a reflection of my life and surroundings—capturing the essence of local landscapes, travel experiences, portraits, and simple still lifes. Painting from life is at the core of my practice, allowing me to create an intimate visual record of the world as I see and feel it.
What role do experimentation and exploration play in your artistic practice?
While oil remains my preferred medium, I enjoy exploring other forms of expression. Lately, I have been experimenting with mixed media techniques based on monotype printing. This has opened up new possibilities, especially in combining my passion for figure life drawing with a vibrant use of colour on a single surface.
What message do you hope your art conveys to the world?
Art is inherently subjective, but I believe that sincerity and passion are qualities that resonate. When an artist creates with honesty, the work often finds its way to the right audience and collectors.
Share a mantra or favourite quote that keeps you going.
One quote that has always stayed with me is by Frédéric Bazille, a contemporary of the Impressionists: “We paint what we want; we sell what we can.” Tragically, Bazille’s promising career was cut short when he was killed at the age of 28 during the Franco-Prussian War. His words serve as a reminder of both the freedom and the challenges of an artist’s path.
