Jan Forbes And The Watercolor Women

Pass by Jan Forbes’ garage any given Wednesday evening, and you will see the glow of a well lit interior, the walls lined with paintings, and hear the playful tease of faint laughter from a half-dozen or more women.

It’s not a weekly party. Or maybe, that’s what it’s become. But technically, it’s Forbes‘ watercolor class. It’s an art she’s been teaching for decades in varied locations across the state, the latest being a studio garage tucked in her own backyard in Southwest.     

One of the regulars is Angela Romeo. Romeo has been taking classes from Forbes for nearly a decade now and she actively sells her work. Asked why she continues to show up for the classes, Romeo said it’s about more than art tutorials.

“We’ve become a family,” she said.

Seriously Exciting Watercolors

Forbes, who ran her own art shops in Longville and Bloomington for years, has painted alongside some notable names in the art world, including Bill Alexander, Bob Ross and Betty Edwards. Her own talent is evident, but she said she’s not one for shows or sales. She prefers instead to pay it forward, relishing in teaching others the art, and to enjoy the act of creating art itself. 

On the counters and shelves of Forbes’ garage are stacks upon stacks of her paintings. She wouldn’t even venture to guess how many paintings she has or how many she’s done over the years. She told of a time when she even lit a stack on fire. It may sound like artistic iniquity, but Forbes said it’s more about the process than the final product for her.

“Watercolor is like a joke teller at a party,” Forbes said. “If you kind of coax it and push it, it surprises you and does all kinds of fun things. And I think the people who get into it are a little spontaneous—they’re more impatient, they’re not the people who want to spend a month doing one painting.”

An Artistic Legacy 

Beside her painting-filled garage lies a collection of another art endeavor Forbes has embarked on. Several children’s rocking horses, freed from their rockers, have been transformed into freestanding carousel horses, awaiting new paint and decoration. The first one Forbes found discarded by a neighbor in her alley; subsequent horses were purchased at garage sales. Forbes’ plan is to bequeath a unique carousel horse to each of her family members when she passes on, leaving a legacy of art and creation. 

But for now, Forbes says of working in her studio and with her dedicated students: “To me, this is heaven.”  

Editor’s Note: If you are interested in joining Forbes’ watercolor class, she can be reached at gallery333@aol.com. We first discovered Gallery 333 through the adventures of the lovely Armatage 365 photo blog