The Yocum Institute for Arts Education is proud to present After the Storm, a solo exhibition by local artist Jim Forrestel, whose work spans over five decades of imaginative, emotionally rich painting. The exhibit will be on view in the Holleran Gallery from Friday, August 1 through Tuesday, August 26.
Born and raised in Philadelphia and a long-time resident of the Reading area, Forrestel brings a lifetime of experience, emotion, and creativity to the canvas. After the Storm offers viewers a collection of his large-scale, vividly colored works that blur the line between fantasy and reality. With a style influenced by surrealism and emotional introspection, Forrestel invites the audience into dreamlike scenes where the figures are silent and contemplative—entranced in worlds of their own.
“There is a lot of surrealism in my work,” says Forrestel. “They are like dreams with hidden meanings. When I am feeling overwhelmed with the day-to-day stress of life, my art helps me to detach, separate myself, calming the storm within me.”
Each piece in the exhibit is unplanned, guided instead by instinct, emotion, and Forrestel’s unique use of outline and glowing color to flatten perspective and elevate narrative. Influenced by his own family life and his professional career in the fields of substance use and mental health, the work resonates with depth, connection, and quiet power.
An Opening Reception will be held on Friday, August 1, where attendees can meet the artist and experience the layered stories embedded in his paintings. Admission is free and open to the public during gallery hours.
For more details, visit www.yocuminstitute.org or call 610-376-1576.
