Jane Forrest

My work is a way of understanding the world. I create, capture, and alter moments from personal histories to escape the weight of existence. My oil paintings allow me to turn memories, communities, and concepts into something tangible. Unconscious experiences become things that we can touch, hold, and interact with, which helps me to feel less alone in the world.

888 DuPont, built-in 1921, originally a broom and mop factory employing blind veterans, was turned into affordable studio space for Toronto artists. Through painting this building, I have collected stories from people connected with the immeasurable history it contains. 888 DuPont, described as a place of safety, a community, and home is soon-to-be condos. I attempt to bring awareness to the consistent loss that the art community experiences to make room for condos. This painting holds my own memories, as well as a community’s emotions and experiences. In painting this building, and the history, love, and loss beneath each wall: I restore what might have been lost.