Colorado artist Lori Forest relies on her acute powers of observation and her love of the natural world to bring authenticity to her paintings. Even as a young child, growing up in the rural Midwest, she spent her time drawing dinosaurs and horses, insistent on being accurate. “I was fixated on getting it right,” she says, adding that even as a young child, authenticity was crucial.

After some consideration, Forest chose to study geology at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins, Colorado, saying, “I’ve always loved the earth. Geology has always fascinated me, and I think that plays a really big part in my art right now. I want everything to be true to what the earth is doing, so I’ll be painting a hog back, and I’ll be consistent with the slope and consistent with the sedimentary layers.”

As is often the case, when an artist is self-taught, Forest came to a fork in the road. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t identify what it was. A decision to attend major shows and meet other artists turned out to be serendipitous. At the Masters of the American West show, she met Jay Moore, whose work she’d admired for years. When he invited Forest to participate in a mentorship program he was planning, she leaped at the opportunity. “I did a six-month mentorship with him, and that just moved me forward from what I was doing wrong,” she says. “He was instrumental in showing me how to improve my craft.”

Lori Forest

Crossing the Line
Oil
18″ x 24″
“This painting is set in Kawuneeche Valley on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. I often go there during the elk rut to watch the ‘show.’ Bull elk will frequently use water features to help define their territory and contain their harem of cow elk. In this painting, another bull is ‘crossing the line’ to challenge the other. I wanted to paint a unique perspective of the confrontation to better pull your eye into the painting instead of across it.”

Lori Forest

Swan Lake
Oil
6″ x 8″
“Several years ago, I took a trip with my mom and my daughters into Yellowstone National Park in the winter. I have been to Yellowstone many times, but this winter trip was mystical. The landscape and wildlife in the snow were unforgettable. I saw this swan and her mate at the edge of the ice in the late afternoon light, as we were riding up to Old Faithful Lodge in the snowcat. I love to paint water, and the ripples and reflections of the swan made this a fun little piece to paint.”