Oil on panel painting Secrets of Botanic Garden by Irina Forrester
Canvas Connections artist Irina Forrester profile picture

IRINA FORRESTER

RECORDING LIFE IN COLOUR

ARTIST STATEMENT

As a visual storyteller, my paintings are the illustrations of my life’s diary—intimate reflections of the moments that shape me. Painting from life is at the core of my practice, capturing subjects ranging from plein air landscapes in Singapore and abroad to more abstract explorations in recent works. Each piece is an emotional response to the world around me, where the act of putting feeling onto canvas becomes a journey of discovery. This approach results in a diverse body of work, spanning portraits, life drawing sketches, landscapes, and still lifes. Through my art, I strive to preserve fleeting moments, transforming them into visual narratives that connect emotion, memory, and experience

BIOGRAPHY

Irina is a contemporary Russian-born British artist. She and her family has moved to Singapore from London seven years ago. She has received a formal education at art school in Russia, but her young family and work commitments meant that she had a long break before picking up her brushes again.

Moving to Singapore allowed Irina free time to renew her interest in art and she has spent the last few years exploring various options to brush up on her skills and move forward. To blow away the initial cobwebs, she attended a series of short courses at LASALLE and NAFA and is now an active member of some of Singapore’s life figure/portrait drawing groups to keep her eyes sharp.

Most of Irina’s work is representational but recently she has been looking to shift it towards a fine balance between abstraction and realism. Her subject matter covers a wide range from still lifes and landscapes to portraiture and life drawing sketches. She prefers oils to other mediums for its versatility in application but also enjoys acrylics, gouache, charcoal and ink.

Irina exhibits regularly (40+ shows and art fairs in the last 3 years) and her works are in private collections in the UK, the USA, Europe, Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

You can view Irina’s works on Instagram at @forresteririna. If you are interested in any artworks or commission, Irina can be reached at irinaforresterfineart@gmail.com.

Oil on linen painting titled Upper Baracks, Pearl's Hill Terrace by Irina Forrester

UPPER BARACKS, PEARL’S HILL TERRACE

OIL ON LINEN

30 CM X 40 CM

2024

FRAMED

This painting captures the quiet beauty of Upper Barracks in Pear’s Hill, a site rich in history yet facing imminent redevelopment. The soft, atmospheric brushstrokes preserve the essence of this colonial-era space. A classical statue stands as a silent witness to the passage of time, its presence emphasising the importance of remembering what may soon be lost. Through this work, the scene is immortalised, serving as a visual record of a vanishing past amid the ever-changing urban landscape of modern Singapore.

Oil on canvas painting titled Remembering Spain by Irina Forrester

REMEMBERING SPAIN

OIL ON CANVAS

45 CM X 60 CM

2025

UNFRAMED

This painting is a personal recollection, translating my recent experience of Spain’s vibrant energy, colours, and textures into an abstract visual language. I paint mostly from life and this painting was based on numerous oil pastel sketches I made during the trip in spring 2024.

Oil on panel painting titled Secrets of Botanic Garden by Irina Forrester

SECRETS OF BOTANIC GARDEN

OIL ON PANEL

50 CM X 40 CM

2024

FRAMED

This studio painting. based on my sketches made at the Botanic Gardens, captures the lush vibrancy of tropical flora. The composition is alive with dynamic strokes, where striking red heliconias emerge against a dense green backdrop. Light and shadow dance across the foliage, conveying the richness and movement of nature. The expressive brushwork reflects the immersive experience of plein air painting, preserving the essence of the garden’s wild beauty.

Oil on board painting titled Abstract composition by Irina Forrester

ABSTRACT COMPOSITION

OIL ON BOARD

45 CM X 30 CM

2025

UNFRAMED

This painting radiates warmth with its earthy palette of ochres, siennas, and muted greens, evoking a sense of history and memory. The interplay of structured and fluid forms suggests an urban influence, softened by expressive brushstrokes. There’s a dynamic yet balanced tension between vertical and horizontal elements, hinting at remnants of a past presence or fleeting impressions of a space.

Oil on cradled board painting titled The Garden City by Irina Forrester

THE GARDEN CITY

OIL ON CRADLED BOARD

45 CM X 30 CM

2025

UNFRAMED

The painting presents a captivating interplay of structure and fluidity, evoking the essence of an urban space through abstraction. The dominant green palette, interspersed with deep blues, muted yellows, and earthy tones, suggests a city intertwined with nature—a space where human-made structures and organic elements coexist, the very idea behind building the Garden City as we know it.

EXHIBITIONS

2025

Drawn to Life, group show, Selegie Arts Centre, Feb-March 2025

So Sketchy Show, group show, DrawEtc Creative space, April 2025

German Centre, May 2025

Re-discovery, Arts House, Singapore, August 2025

German Centre, Singapore, October 2025 TBC

Emerald Hill, Singapore, TBC

2024

Mandala Club AGAS show, Singapore, March-September 2024

AFF HK, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, May 2024

Life Drawing group show at DrawEtc, Singapore, May 2024

Int’l Painting and Calligraphy show, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, May-June 2024

Gardens by the Bay, Flower Dome, Singapore, July-September 2024

Art Unites, Katong CC, Singapore, July 2024

Living with Art, the 59th Anniversary of SG, Midview City, August 2024

MHCA, 59th SG Anniversary, Chinese Exhibition Hall, Singapore, August 2024

Singapore Tales, Arts House, Singapore September 2024

FIND Design Asia, MBS, Singapore, September 2024

From sketch to finished work, Moscow, Russia, Sept-Oct 2024

AAF SG, Singapore, November 2024

Small matter, Maya gallery, Singapore, November-December 2024

Spectra, Selegie Art Centre November-December 2024

SG Sketchers, Selegie Art Centre, Nov 2024

Draw Etc, Year-End Exhibition, Singapore, December 2024

2023

9th Edition of the ArtGeminiPrize Finalists’ show at Y2ARTS gallery, February 2023

Voice of Art, ION Orchard, Singapore, March 2023

Selegie Arts Centre, Singapore, March 2023

Small Matter, Maya gallery, Singapore, March-April 2023

Art to Heart, Charity Art Exhibition, Thye Hong Centre, Singapore, April 2023

Every Body (Figurative works), Telok Kurau Art Studios, Singapore, May 2023

Rising Legends, BeOne Gallery, The Arts House, Singapore, June-July 2023

12th Asia Art Alliance Exhibition, ION Orchard, Singapore, July 2023

Art Vogue D’Nation, ION Orchard, Singapore, July 2023

Dance, Lion City, Chui Huay Lim Club, Singapore, August 2023

Brilliant Rhapsody, International Art & Culture (Singapore) Federation, Sept 2023

Affordable Art Fair, F1 Pit building, Singapore, November 2023

Dreamers and Creators, Selegie Art Centre, Singapore

48th Anniversary of NAFA Alumni Exhibition, Singapore, December 2023

DrawEtc Year-End Exhibition, Singapore, December 2023

2022

ION Orchard, Singapore, May 2022

Orchard Library, Singapore, May 2022

Seeking Wonder, Cambodia, Pnohm Penh, September 2022

Selegie Arts Centre, Singapore, December 2022

47th Anniversary of NAFA Alumni Exhibition, Singapore, December 2022

EDUCATION

Oil painting short courses programme Level III-VI, Lasalle, Singapore

Krasnaya Presnya Art School, Moscow, Russia



AFFILIATIONS

Women Artists Association, Singapore

Canvas Connections, Women’s Art Collective, Singapore