About  Neal Forster

Welcome, I am Neal Forster, a British artist creating portraits, pet paintings, landscapes, and abstracts inspired by connection, colour, and lived experience. This diversity allows collectors to find pieces that fit to their individual taste or commission something different. My journey back to painting began later in life, when a handful of family and pet portraits unexpectedly grew into commissions from friends. What started as a pastime quickly became a lifeline, a place where creativity, healing, and joy for artist and collector meet on the canvas.

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I grew up in the Northeast of England and South Yorkshire, eventually turning down art school to help support my family (mother and sister). My path took many turns including, years spent repairing radio equipment in the Royal Navy, raising two sons, and later serving as a Derbyshire police constable. A medical retirement and chronic nerve pain changed the rhythm of my days, but it also pointed me back toward art, studying online courses and self teaching. The one space where I could find steadiness, purpose, and colour again was through the art where I could get in the zone and discard my pain and discomfort, at least for a short time.

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Painting is both therapy and storytelling for me. I work during the hours when my body allows with moments of clarity between waves of pain and fatigue and in those windows I create with intention. Portraits let me capture the spark of a personality; pet paintings honour the animals who mean so much to us; landscapes and abstracts give me room to explore emotion through colour, movement, and texture. No matter the subject, my goal is always the same: to create work that resonates, comforts, and reflects the warmth of shared human experience.

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My art has been exhibited in Dubai, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and featured in publications including Art Focus Magazine UK, Canvas Rebel Magazine USA, Bold Journey Magazine USA and Lifestyle Magazine UK. I’ve sold work both online and at art fairs, and I regularly donate pet portraits to rescue organisations in the UK and USA as part of their fundraising efforts which I feel is a small but meaningful way to give back.

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Collectors often tell me they are drawn to the empathy and character in my work, and that means more to me than any other accolade. Every piece begins with a story of a beloved pet, a treasured moment, a face full of personality with character and my hope is that the finished painting offers comfort, joy, or even a moment of calm to the viewer. Collectors tell me they love the expressive eyes of my pet portraits which emphasises their character. After all the eyes are the windows to the soul and if I can capture some of their soul the painting appears to come to life. I aim to create that character and window in every portrait I produce and so far the feedback suggests I am achieving that goal.

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Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit about my journey. I hope my paintings bring you the same sense of colour, connection, and peace that creating them brings to me.