Curriculum Vitae
Solo Shows
2002 Castle Gallery, Inverness 1998 Unicorn Gallery London 1997 Chalk Farm, London 1996 Firth Gallery, Edinburgh 1995 Gallery 41, Edinburgh 1993 Gallery 41, Edinburgh 1991 Flying Colours, Inverness 1989 Eden Court, Inverness
Mixed Shows
2006 La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Hollywood, LA, USA
2006 Painting to Ricky Gervais
2005 Kilmorack Gallery Beauly 2004 Chalk Farm Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2004 Green Gallery , Aberfoyle
2004 On The Wall, London
2004 Castle Gallery, Inverness 2003 Highland Open, touring 2003 Castle Gallery Inverness 2002 Pivotal Gallery, Glasgow 2002 Kilmorack Gallery, Beauly 2002 Glasgow Art Fair 2002 Thompsons Gallery, LONDON 2002 Dublin Art fair, 2001 Glasgow Art Fair 2000 Poster for the London Underground. 1999 The Affordable Art Fair, LONDON 1999 ,Beaux Arts, BATH 1998 Beaux Arts, BATH 1998 The Glasgow Art Fair, GLASGOW 1997 Sotheby's, LONDON 1997 The RSA, EDINBURGH 1997 Flying Colours, LONDON 1997 Leith Gallery, EDINBURGH 1997 The Glasgow Art Fair, GLASGOW 1997 The New York Art Fair, NEW YORK 1997 London Art Fair, LONDON 1996 Thomson's Gallery, LONDON 1996 The Royal Scottish Academy, EDINBURGH 1996 The Glasgow Art Fair, GLASGOW 1995 Compass Gallery, GLASGOW 1995 The Beltane Spirit, Highland Council 1994 Eton Contemporary Art Gallery 1993 Hilton Hotel, HONG KONG
Works in the collections of : the band Travis, Monty Python Terry Gilliam, Prudential, Sainsbury, United Distillers, The Museum Of London Transport,

Michael’s work is currently published as a calendar “ The Adventures Of Orange Cat” with Pomegranate publishers in California, available from Amazon.co.uk





Michael Forbes, Artist


Michael Forbes began life as a professional artist after leaving school. Nine to five was not for him, rather the scary unpredictability of having to make a living from the sales of work. The gamble paid off. He is now one of the Highlands
most successful artists. His paintings are in the collections of Terry Gilliam, the band Travis and Ricky Gervais. George Melly is an enthusiast and London Transport have even commissioned a poster for the Underground.

Michael is totally self taught, which may explain why his paintings have such a certain unpredictability. His surreal imagery places animals and humans in bizarre situations, sometimes with a hint of menace.
Some of his most recent oil paintings show the lighter side of life as he chronicles the antics of his childhood pet,
a gigantic orange cat. When he was eight years old Michael asked for a pet. They bargained him down from his first and second choices ( Llama and crocodile), procuring an orange kitten instead.

Orange cat grew to enormous size and possessed the even temper that goes with generous dimensions. While
he viewed the humans in his house as staff, he treated them kindly.

He remained with Forbes into adulthood, finally popping his paws the day his human's wife announced that she was pregnant. Forbes likes to think that his first child is the reincarnation of Orange cat - especially when he sees him climbing trees.