My name is Viviane Forest and I am a multiple gold medal Paralympian and the first Canadian female athlete to win gold in both summer and winter Paralympic games.

I am originally from Quebec and from birth I struggled with my sight. With only 4% useful vision, in Quebec, I attended a school for the blind. It was at this school that I learned different art mediums, such as sculpting, painting and music. Throughout my adolescent and teenage years I developed a passion for sports. This turned into a career that really exploded but left me with no time to explore my artistic side. After winning a total of 7 Paralympic medals and many world events in both summer (Goalball) and winter sports (Downhill and Slalom Skiing) my body needed to recuperate. I suffered multiple concussions and injuries and knew that I had to retire from sport in 2011. My healing journey has been long and I still have reoccurring headaches and long-term physical damages. I was inducted to the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2019.

I think that art has helped heal me by giving me quiet and a peacefulness that soothes my soul. I have painted more than 20 landscapes and tactile abstract works in acrylic. I am also starting to explore portrait painting. I work from photographs that I am able to enlarge on my ipad for accuracy. I love mixing and matching colours for a dramatic affect that gives emotion to the painting. My mentor is a graduate of Bishop University of Sherbrooke Quebec. I am still finding my own style but this new journey feels right - for now!