Forrest Fortier, RN, BSN, MSTD, has traveled many paths throughout this life as a registered nurse and an artist. Her paths have taken her around the world as a flight nurse to nurse administrator, from a patient to a cancer survivor. Forrest is now retired and lives in Lugoff, SC with her husband Paul for 32 years with 2 four-legged pups Dakota and Joule. Forrest’s Mom, Gwen DeBandi, and sister Evie, also live down the street.
In July 2022, an opportunity arose for Forrest with a small group of artists to open an art gallery at the newly renovated TenEleven Galleria space. The Camden Art Shoppes, LLC arrived on scene August 2022. Forrest with the help of her husband and family, she designed 3000 square feet space repurposing old louvre doors and shutters with reused lumber for walls of the gallery. Repurposed furniture was added to showcase various art. By December 2022, 80 artists joined Camden Art Shoppes as their art family. The shoppes has affordable gifts of fine crafts and art created by many award winning artists. And Camden Art Shoppes operates with volunteers managing day to day operations. There are no employees.
As Forrest looks back at her life, the underlying tenets of her life journey is her constant pursuit of creative expression and empathetic caring, two things that coexist in nursing. In fact, Fortier shares her perspective on the intersection of art and nursing best in her own words.
“Nursing is a science and an art. The science drives processes that are best for our patients, a growing body of evidence and technology that nurses are forever trying to stay on top of to provide the best care. The art is the creative and emotional side of nursing. It is how we do nursing. To support a patient or client, we must meet them at their needs. This requires empathy, choosing our words wisely and not letting our own beliefs and emotions cloud our nursing decision-making process. It is the heart of what we do to improve the lives of our patients.”
Art whether it is a painting or a sculpture can create emotions and memories not only for the artist but the public. Art requires empathy, to create the masterpiece that connects the art with another person. Forrest’s great-grandmother Anne Marie Brown was a professional artist in the late 19th century, early 20th century. She trained at the Chicago Institute and was a role model for Forrest. As a teenager, Forrest began painting trying to emulate her great grandmother. Her uncle encouraged her to continue.
Forrest decided to make art part of her life early in life but chose nursing as a career. However, 30 years later, “When nursing became physically difficult for me due to medical reasons, I wanted to find a way I could still contribute to healthcare in a meaningful way. I had started developing my artistic skills as therapy for my own healing. The 2020 pandemic occurred and the desire to contribute to healthcare increased. This path led me to use my artistic skills to create emotionally charged paintings representing healthcare. I develop my own unique style for these paintings”.
Fortier used her collage technique to create a series of nursing inspired works that reflect the nursing experience over the course of the pandemic. The series is titled “The Power of Nursing” that reflect the power through learning, prayer, support and, even, despair. Fortier often uses her colleagues and people she knows as models and inspiration, for example, the Power of Nursing through Despair features a colleague and friend of Fortier’s who lost her life to COVID-19. Since then Fortier has created historical collages for two large universities College of Nursing U of SC and Penn State as well as the SC Black Heroes in Medicine Series. Fortier’s technique is unique creating her own acrylic papers that she strategically cuts to make the images of her paintings. Her paintings have won multiple awards locally and nationally.
Mediums, Techniques, Genres
Mixed media, sculpt
Teaching
I am available to mentor serious students. I have taught a variety of mixed media, sculpting, and felting classes
Art Training
I am a self taught artist. I have attended several classes by local artists.
Inspirations and Influences
I am influenced most by my great grandmother, a professional artist, print maker, and ceramics. She painted in all mediums but did not mix them. I find today it is easier to mix water mediums.
Art Awards
First place State Fair 2021
First place TAG Still Hope Show 2022
Several awards through Fine Art America
Honorable Mention CAS flower show 2025
Other (Family, Hobbies, Places Lived)
Live with Husband Paul and 2 Dals Dakota and Joules. Grew up in Memphis, Tenn. Highschool in Baton Rouge, La and College at Penn State University Park. I am a retired nurse. Art is my therapy.
Additional Links:
Sample Art by Forrest Fortier:
