Rich Experience in Realism Featuring car and advertising scenes from Automotive Watercolor artist Dana Forrester

Mar/Apr 2025 Edition
Issue #39 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
​By Tabatha Chovanetz

Dana Forrester is an automotive artist from Independence, Missouri. While his love for art dates back to childhood, it was in the 5th and 6th grades that he began private drawing lessons. By college, Dana was in every art class he could take. He went on to teach a year of high school art, but then was drafted and sent to the Vietnam War for a year. Upon returning from his tour of duty, he chose watercolor because two of his college teachers had said that he could not do “detailed painting” using that media. Well, I would dare say his work is a nod to those two teachers.

He has continued to paint professionally using watercolors since 1973. He also continued to teach advanced art until 1987, when he began to paint full time. 
In the early 1980s, Dana was elected a member of both the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society, and he gained a national reputation for his watercolors featuring studies of brick walls with faded advertising signs and storefronts with plate glass window reflections, as well as neon signs. Dana says he has not created any commercial signs but has painted a mural. 

“Shelby's Reflections” features a painting of a Shelby GT 500 Mustang pulling into a Dog-n-Suds restaurant. Available as either Litho (framed or unframed) or Gallery Wrap Canvas, in a variety os sizes starting at $120 for 11"x17".

“Silver Bullet” is of Dana’s very own 1966 396 coupe. The official art for the 1998 Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend, which also features a real Eureka Springs wall advertising the Onyx Cave and The Crescent Hotel. Available as either Litho (framed or unframed) or Gallery Wrap Canvas, in a variety os sizes starting at $120 for 11"x17".

“Raw Bar” features a landmark shrimp and clam house in Key West, Florida. Available as either Litho (framed or unframed) or Gallery Wrap Canvas, in a variety os sizes starting at $120 for 11"x17".

Having been a gearhead since college, Dana’s love for the sculptural lines of Larry Shinoda’s 1963 Stingray coupe led to the purchase of his own 1966 coupe in 1987. While the image of this car easily crept into Dana’s brick-wall art in early 1990, other Corvettes and automotive subjects eventually became important features in his art as well. More recently, automobiles have stepped to the forefront of his painting, emphasizing the contrast of textures in his work. Adding cars in his paintings has been ongoing and has brought many commissions his way. 
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He also has exhibited in, and won awards in, most national watercolor and museum juried exhibitions and major art festivals in the United States.
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Dana refers to his artwork as photorealism. “Realism through rich experiences” defines his art. Though he uses photographs as a starting point for many of his watercolors, he most frequently prefers to delete some items and add others to enhance his paintings. He believes photography should serve as a reference for authenticity of detail and not as a crutch, because that limits an artist’s creativity.

Dana says he did this painting titled “Red Mist” when Chevrolet introduced Red Mist as a bright new paint option. The color pallet has a deep, bright red coat that he felt would be a challenge to complete. Available as either Litho (framed or unframed) or Gallery Wrap Canvas, in a variety of sizes starting at $120 for 11"x17".

Having served as chair of Kansas City’s NCRS (National Corvette Restorer’s Society) chapter, Dana is currently an active participant in the automotive hobby. He also organizes and leads Corvette road tours. His most recent one went to Arizona.
In 2008, Dana become a Master Judge in the NCRS. In 2009, an 11'x21' reproduction of “Stingers,” one of his watercolors, was installed on a wall in the National Corvette Museum’s new Archives addition. He recently retired as a Member of the Board of directors of both the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and the NCRS.
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Each year Dana creates a limited number of custom original watercolors for collectors. He also enjoys creating ten to twelve new original watercolors of his own, as well as publishing seven to ten new limited editions each year. Most of the new original watercolors are pre-sold.
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As an accomplished automotive artist, Dana’s goal is for the viewer to feel that special connection with the painting. Should you wish to engage him for commission work, he will provide a preliminary drawing for your approval and select a background that matches the color and era of your car. Pricing for an 11"x14" painting begins at $2,500.

“McQueen” is a tribute to actor Steve McQueen. Dana says he wanted to feature the car that Steve drove in the movie Bullitt, while featuring McQueen on the poster as well. Available as either Litho (framed or unframed) or Gallery Wrap Canvas, in a variety of sizes starting at $120 for 11"x17".

“Two for Margaritas” began as a continuation of Dana’s Key West series, with a Panama Yellow 1958 Corvette parked in front of Key West’s original Margaritaville Cafe. “I wanted to show the color of the location as well as the activity on the sidewalk, including the bicycles. When my daughter saw the work about half finished, she jokingly asked, ‘Why aren’t I in this painting?’  I thought this was a great question, so I researched photographs of last summer’s Key West family vacation and secretly placed Allison on the extreme left, then my son Adam to her right. For Christmas, I framed two larger artist’s proofs as a major surprise.” Available as either Litho (framed or unframed) or Gallery Wrap Canvas, in a variety of sizes starting at $120 for 11"x17".

 You can also find Dana’s work included in hundreds of private and corporate collections worldwide, as well as in the permanent collection of the National Corvette Museum, the Wichita Art Museum, and the Butler Institute of American Art.
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 What’s next for Dana? He is currently working on a series of commissioned paintings for two major automotive collectors, as well as the beginning of his second book, which as of now is still untitled. He promises to have the majority of his art pieces included (500+ prints). His first book, The Architectural and Automotive Art of Dana Forrester, is currently sold out, but a few copies may be found used on eBay and book reseller sites for approximately $35, or signed copies for up to $75. You will be able to purchase new copies again through Dana’s website (DanaForrester.com) as soon as he has restocked, or reach out to Dana personally at 816-478-0427.

“Not Picasso.” During the Pandemic of 2020-21 Dana decided to create a real self-portrait. He used a photo taken early in his career, and painted himself leaning against his “other” Corvette, a 1965 396 coupe. Available as either Litho (framed or unframed) or Gallery Wrap Canvas, in a variety of sizes starting at $120 for 11"x17".

Tabatha Chovanetz ​

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