Oxtounge Rapids

(1952-2012) Graham was born in Ireland and immigrated to Canada where he earned citizenship in 1970. After attaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph, Quebec, he began to write short stories and psychological thrillers. As a young adult, Forsythe traveled extensively, from the South Pacific to the Queen Charlottes, tapping into various adventures and experiences. However, it was not until he received an operation correcting his blurred, shadowy vision in 1991 that he could fully appreciate his surroundings and begin to paint. Recording all that had suddenly become visible to him — shapes, spaces and colors — seemed like a necessary and logical step.

Graham Forsythe's vibrant paintings display a palpable sense of enthusiasm about life. The excitement captured on canvas mirrors a life full of creating and reaching for something more. Forsythe's paintings take the forms of still-lifes, landscapes and luminous abstracts. This self-taught artist credits his optical operation and his travels as his most valuable artistic influences. Forsythe does not categorize his paintings but instead finds that “painting can be like meditation... without the prejudices of historical reference or anticipation of its outcome.

“Pablo Picasso said, “Art is the lie that tells the truth”. For me, no truer words describe art better. Great artists are like alchemists. Where the chemist uses magic to turn lead into gold, the Artist manipulates rubs of synthetic color to capture a three-dimensional subject on a two dimensional surface, but without character, a painting is little more than an arrangement of color and design. Herein lies the reason why I paint – to understand the nature of what I see and to share my passion with you. If I can unveil the essence of what I see into my paintings, they will transcend mere decoration and take on a life of their own. Everything has its own unique character, and once it reveals itself to me then my job is to rub the canvas and communicate this truth to you.”

~Graham Forsythe