“She wants to maximize every opportunity,” said Varey who has been teaching at ESA for the past 19 years, “so anything that comes her way, she’ll say yes to and get involved.” as a way to create that kind of connection.”įorrest has also curated six exhibitions, been published 35 times, has won 32 awards, given four talks and is planning ESA’s first alumni art show for July at the Northern Contemporary Gallery on Roncesvalles Avenue. “A lot of my work is about community, and it’s about people and places because that was something I felt like I was missing in my life,” she said, referring to the isolation and separation she and others experienced during the pandemic. Her art, she said, is a way of storytelling, using shadows and light, to preserve moments.
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Her recent work is an ongoing series of oil on canvas paintings of buildings, mostly art studios in Toronto that are under threat of being turned into condos. In the four years since, Forrest has participated in four solo exhibits and 28 group ones. With no formal training other than some art lessons at summer camp, she was accepted into ESA. As part of the application process for the contemporary art program, incoming Grade 9 students had to present 10 or more original pieces to a panel ( Toronto District School Board has since done away with auditions or portfolios for its specialized arts schools). “It’s kind of unreal to me,” said Forrest who has been accepted everywhere including her top choice, the prestigious Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art near Manhattan’s East Village.įorrest’s teacher Matthew Varey attributes her success to extraordinary dedication and commitment.įorrest heard about ESA through a friend’s brother who attended the school.
Forrest has been offered $4.1 million in total scholarships - a record for a student from the specialized public secondary school. “There are a lot of high school moments I didn’t really get to have because I was painting or applying to schools.” “I was willing to sacrifice other things so I could pursue my dream,” said Forrest who commutes an hour from her Leslieville home to attend ESA at Royal York Road and the Queensway. This academic year, Forrest applied to 62 post-secondary programs, each requiring a portfolio of her work. The Grade 12 student has spent countless hours in her school’s art studio, driven by a creative passion, but also by her career goals. And when school lets out in the afternoon and friends are beckoning her to just hang out, the 17-year-old stays behind - to paint. Every morning before classes at Etobicoke School of the Arts, even before teachers arrive for the day, Jane Forrest paints.
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