Artist Spotlight: Jennifer Forrest
Meet the Artist
Jennifer Forrest is a coastal artist born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She laughs when she talks about her childhood, remembering herself as “always that kid drawing in the back of class or doodling in my books.”
When she wasn’t making art, she was outside fishing, snorkeling, surfing, catching crabs, and spending summers in the Keys. “If I wasn’t making art, I was on the water,” she says. “That’s where a lot of my memories come from.”
Jennifer studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design and later began traveling through modeling opportunities that took her everywhere from Paris to Shanghai. After nearly a decade abroad, she returned to the United States to be closer to family and friends. While working in New York City, she met her husband and built a life there.
“When the pandemic hit, it gave me the opportunity to get back to painting,” Jennifer shares. What started as a return quickly became a central part of her creative work again.
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Artistic Style & Inspiration
Jennifer describes her style as modern, hard-edged landscapes and animal portraiture. Her work is driven by memory as much as observation.
“I’m inspired by my memories of the coastal and marine ecosystems from growing up in Florida,” she explains, “as well as the landscapes and terrains I’ve been lucky enough to explore through travel.”
Her paintings often combine bold structure with layered color, creating strong contrast and graphic energy. She enjoys working with clean lines and defined forms, while still leaving room for viewers to bring their own interpretation to the work.
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What Guides Her Work
Nature sits at the center of Jennifer’s creative process. “Not only is it my happy space, but I’m inspired by the incredible diversity of the world around us,” she says.
Preservation and respect for the environment are important themes in her work. “Honoring and protecting what we see in nature has always been a passion of mine,” Jennifer shares. Her paintings reflect that care, often drawing attention to coastal life, marine ecosystems, and the environments that shaped her growing up.
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A Favorite Piece
One of Jennifer’s favorite works is her painting of The Seven Mile Bridge. “Going over it always marked the start of my family vacation every year,” she says.
For her, the bridge meant long days on the boat, fishing for dinner at night, and bike rides spent gathering mangos along the way. “It meant we were there. That vacation had officially started.” The painting holds those memories in a single image, tying together travel, family, and a familiar stretch of road that became part of her story.
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Artist Favorites
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Favorite color to paint with: “Pinks, although it’s so hard to choose!”
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Favorite coastal area for inspiration: “The Florida Keys and the intracoastal areas throughout the Southeast.”
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Favorite art supply: “My paint saver. My dad gave it to me, and it’s been a real lifesaver since my work uses a lot of layers of the same color.”
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What’s New
Jennifer is currently working on a large beach landscape in Palm Beach, Florida. It’s her second piece created on a recycled canvas tote.
“I’m really excited about finding ways to be more sustainable in my art,” she says. “Reusing materials that might otherwise be thrown away feels like a small way to give something back.”
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Connect with Jennifer
Explore Jennifer Forrest’s work at The Green Room at 831 and follow along with her on Instagram as she continues to create pieces inspired by coastal life, travel, and thoughtful material choices.