Graham Forsythe
Graham Forsythe (born Ballymena, Northern Ireland) is a Canadian artist. Although Forsythe was classified blind at birth he has traveled extensively. He did not start painting until 1991 when his eyesight was restored by an operation.
Early life
Forsythe was born in Ballymena, County Antrim. He was born with such poor eyesight that he could only view the world as shadows and blurry shades of gray. This led to him being classified as legally blind by the medical profession.
In 1958 Forsythe and his family immigrated to Canada where his humble beginnings meant that he had to work from a young age. By the time Forsythe was 10, he was working in a potato farm just outside of Toronto. However, within two years his likable personality had landed him a job as a caddy at the exclusive Hunts Club of Toronto.
He worked his way through University and graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of Guelph in Ontario. He completed his formal education in 1974 at the age of 22.
By the time he graduated Forsythe had spent more than half of his life working. Yearning for adventure, Forsythe began to travel, starting with the eastern and western seaboards of the United States. He then roamed across Canada, driven by the urge to explore new places and meet people. In 1975 he traveled to New Zealand where he worked on a sheep and mixed crop farm. Two years later he moved to Australia where he worked various jobs, including a one-year stint timber cruising in the Queen Charlotte Islands. Forsythe remained in Australia for three years before he decided that he wished to visit Ireland, the land of his birthplace. In 1979 his journey took him to the little town of Killybegs, County Donegal where he worked as a fisherman. One year later he returned to Canada and worked on a commercial salmon trawler off the west coast.
Throughout all of his travels Forsythe had not really seen the beauty of the world due to his poor eyesight.
Career
In 1981 Forsythe started his own business paving roads. His company employed a dozen workers and the work was steady, but Forsythe had a desire to do something more creative.
Creativity seems to run through the Irish side of Forsythe's family; his father could pick up any musical instrument and play it, his sister is a song writer and his aunt was a champion Irish Step Dancer.
In his spare time Forsythe wrote murder mysteries, perhaps prompted by the fact that his father and his father's brothers were all policemen working in homicide. As a young boy Forsythe would overhear his father speaking about unsolved crimes with colleagues.
At the age of 38 Forsythe was told that an operation might be able to give him sight. Despite the risk of complications, Forsythe chose to undergo the operation. Fortunately, the operation was a success and Forsythe could see properly for the first time. Inspired by the beauty of nature, Forsythe began to paint. His talent was evident and soon art galleries and private collectors began to purchase his magnificent landscapes and seascapes.
Currently, Graham Forsythe is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and has won several Jurors Choice Awards. Most of Forsythe's paintings depict natural scenes.
Quotations
"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."
Honors and awards
- 1998 'Juror's Choice Award', Federation of Canadian Artist
- 1999 'Juror's Choice Award', Federation of Canadian Artist
- 2000 'Juror's Choice Award', Federation of Canadian Artist
- 2006 Selected Featured Artist, Ladera Ranch Education Foundation annual fundraising event.
Publications
- International Artist Magazine Edition #56 USA, 2007
- Monterey County Weekly, Monterey, California, USA (2002)
- Ballymena Guardian, Ballymena, Northern Ireland (2003)
- Art World News, National Publication, USA (2003)
- International Graphics, Eggenstein, Germany (2004)
- Ladera Ranch Herald, Ladera Ranch, California, USA (2004)
- Galleries West Magazine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (2005)
- Cottage Style Magazine, National Publication, USA (2006)
- Orange Coast Magazine, Orange County, California, USA (2006)
- MagazinArt Biennial, National Publication, Canada (2006)
- Pierre Belvedere Cards, Quebec, Canada (2006)
- International Graphics, Eggenstein, Germany (2006)