VAA ART100 INTERNATIONAL
I am honoured to be shortlisted for the VAA Art100 International art prize, 2026. This prestigious open call prize organised by the Visual Artists Association is accessible to artists all over the world.
The announcement about the winners will happen in December, so not far away. I would like to express by deep gratitude to VAA and the judges for being shortlisted.
I found out this morning by email and wanted to share it here on my website.
The Sounds of Summer
Although we are heading into Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, I’m conscious that Summer always brings new ways of seeing and experiencing the world around us. Nature is frenetic; nests are built, chicks reared, plants bloom in dazzling colours.
Over the Summer, I was particularly conscious of the sounds of nature. Here in Britain the birdsong was incredible, with swifts calling in their high-pitched staccato song above cities, towns and villages, the sound of skylarks high above fields and the swooping of swallows as they skim the surface of lakes and ponds. And that’s just a few of the birds. I also loved the wingbeats of dragonflies and the humming of bee hives.
I have been tuning in to the natural music and rhythm of nature for a new series of paintings. I’m very much a lover of bold colours, however, I have been inspired to seek a broader palette for this series. All else remains the same, including using my usual techniques and tools to scrape, smudge and encourage paint across the surface.
I am keen to work on larger scale paintings, both on stretched canvas and specialist paper, so this series has seen me working in sizes of 60, 80 and 100cm. I have enjoyed applying myself to this new challenge and would love to hear what you think of this new approach. Please let me know in the comments section below.
A new work inspired by my memories of sounds associated with nature
Autumn 2025 News
Autumn is upon us here in the UK and I thought it would be a good time to write a blog post. My exhibition in June was a great success. I was happy to meet so many different people at The Grange Gallery, Rottingdean visiting from near and far. One lady was from Wyoming and I’m hoping she got her painting back without incident. I had great conversations and some very affirming comments about my work, so thank you to everyone who came along, visited, and supported me.
After a brief break following my exhibition during the summer, I have been back at the easel again in recent months. Interestingly, my work seems to be leaning more to abstraction at the moment, which I am enjoying greatly. My paintings continue to be particularly inspired by memories, experiences and sounds/music.
Although you are free to contact me about paintings via this website, I have decided to sell through Saatchi Art. You can find me on that platform by clicking here. One of the first paintings I placed on Saatchi Art is How The North Star Wearies, which I have reproduced below. Thanks for reading and please contact me by clicking here, if you have an inquiry.
How The North Star Wearies by Philip Barry Forsyth
Doubt the Stars
My solo exhibition opens at The Grange Gallery, Rottingdean on 4 June.
My solo exhibition at The Grange Gallery in Rottingdean is a little over five weeks away, opening on Wednesday 4 June. Rottingdean is a beautiful village only a short drive from Brighton, where the South Downs meet the sea. I will be exhibiting many new landscape paintings that I have been working on over the last 18 months.
The exhibition title, Doubt the Stars, is a reference to a line in Shakespeare’s famous play, Hamlet:
Doubt thou the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
The theme of the exhibition is that even though we have much doubt in today’s world, there are some things that we can depend on. Be it a sunrise, the landscape or the cycle of nature.
I will be in the gallery most days, so why not come along and say hello?!
Soft Light, Cuillin
