Christabel Forbes is a colourist artist who draws from her reality and memory to discover other worldly, imaginative places. Drawing directly from life is crucial to her practice, which is then explored through painting and printmaking.
After taking a BA in Fine Art at Falmouth University, Christabel trained on the Drawing Year at the Royal Drawing School and recently completed a Fine Art MA at the City and Guilds of London Art School. She has built up a portfolio of residencies and teaching experience in the UK and abroad based on her use of colour to depict people and places. In her work, she tries to maintain a level of playfulness and spontaneity. Christabel is based in Berkshire and was born in Courbevoie, outside of Paris, in 1991 to French and British parents.
“I have always loved to draw. I am fascinated by cartography and question how I experience a landscape. Currently, I am experimenting with printmaking and paper-folding techniques to create different viewpoints. Traditional drawing, painting, and printmaking are still an important part of my practice, but I am always excited to venture into new territories.”
Exhibitions:
Upcoming
15 - 18 May: artEast Spring Show, Wenham Studios, Suffolk
18 - 23 June: Chelsea Art Society 76th Annual Exhibition, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London
Current
Rise Art, Online
Caversham Picture Framer, Caversham
Solo Exhibitions:
2024, 19 Nov–24 Dec: ‘Place & Time’, Caversham Picture Framer, Caversham
2022, 23 Jun - 3 Jul: ‘La Couleur du Voyage’ Millenn’Art, Paris
2021, 26 Mar - 25 Apr: ‘London’s Green Spaces’, Online
2020, 25 Nov - 10 Dec: ‘Noirmoutier’, Online
2021, 10-16 Jun: ‘Provence and Beyond’, Blue Shop Cottage, Camberwell, London
2018, 30 Nov: 'Nature's Landscapes', Ravenscourt Park, London
Group Exhibitions:
2024
25 Feb - 11 Mar: International Women’s Day, Art on a Postcard, The Bomb Factory, Marleybone, London
2 - 10 Nov: Chelsea Art Society, Group Show, London 19-23 Sep: artEast, Suffolk
10-14 Sep: City and Guilds of Art School MA Final Show, London
Jun: Summer Group Show, The Violet Hour
12–17 Jun: Chelsea Art Society 75th Annual Exhibition, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London
10-12 May: artEast, Suffolk
2023
20 Jun - 5 Jul: Royal Drawing School Summer Show, 21 June at Ralph Lauren Mayfair, London
14–18 Jun: Chelsea Art Society, London
18–24 May: artEast, Suffolk
4 May: Nohohouse, Barcelona, Spain
2022
3-16 Oct: Chelsea in Colour, CAS, Sloane and Stanley Sponsors Show, 340 Kings Road, London
16-20 Sep: Group show, artEast, Framdsen Hall Barn, Framsden, Suffolk, IP14 6HL
17-20 Jun: Group show, Chelsea Art Society, London
7 Feb - 24 Apr: The Great Escape - MAPA Fine Art, Online/London Hoxton 253 Art Project Space
2021
17 Nov: 50 x £50 - Auction Collective, London
15-22 Oct: Doa Show - group pop up exhibition, 72 Glebe Place, London
12-19 Sep: Chelsea Art Society, group show, 340 Kings Road, London
19 Jun - 30 Aug: Glyndebourne, Force of Nature, group show, Online
3rd Feb - 2nd Mar: ‘Inside | Outside’, Janet Rady Fine Art, Online
2020
30 Nov: ‘50 x £50’ Auction Collective, Online
18 Nov- 4 Dec: ‘On the Strangest Sea’ The Violet Hour, Online
22 Jun - 10 Jul: ‘Reaction in Seclution’, Online
May: ‘Works on Paper’, Blue Shop Cottage, Online
24-28 Mar: Spring Auction Collective, London
21 Feb - 5 Apr: New Tutor Exhibition, West Dean College, Chichester
2019
1-16 Jun: ‘E17 Art Trail ‘Wonder’, Walthamstow, London
13-17 Jun: ‘72nd Annual Open Exhibition’, Chelsea Art Society, London
3 May: ‘How Trees Talk’, Coombe Farm Studio, Devon
2018
25-29 Oct: Chelsea Art Society, Chelsea, London
Residencies:
Upcoming
2025: Dumfries House, Royal Drawing School
Previous
2023: Borgo Pignano, Royal Drawing School
2022: Kenya, The Safari Series
2019: Devon, How Trees Talk, Coombe Farm Studios
2018: Borgo Pignano, Royal Drawing School
2016: IIFA India, Royal Drawing School
2016: Les Bassacs, Arts in Provence
Awards:
Wedlake Bell Award for a Young Artist at the Chelsea Art Show October 2018
Collections:
The Royal Collection
Sir Michael Moritz Collection
Member:
Chelsea Art Society
Features:
Ways of Drawing: Artists Perspectives and Practices, Thames and Hudson
Studio Ashby, Interior Designer, The Times
It’s Nice That Magazine
Education:
2022-24 - City and Guilds of London Art School, MA Fine Art
2014-15 - Royal Drawing School, The Drawing Year, (MA level)
2013 - Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, Erasmus
2011-14 - Falmouth University, (BA) Hon Fine Art
Teaching:
2020 - Present, Chichester, West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, Tutor
2016 - Present, Private Tutor
2015 - Present, UK, SunSpaceArt, STFC-funded, Tutor
2016 - 2024, London, Specialist Art Teacher, La Scuola Italiana a Londra (SIAL)
2015 - 2021, London, Royal Drawing School, Young Artists Tutor
2016 - October-December, India, IIFA, Modinagar, Foundation, Tutor
2016 - January-July, Chiswick, Make and Paint Art Clubs