As an architect and painter, Don M. Forst has always had an eye for detail.
So, it’s almost no surprise that he can remember the exact date and time that he woke up with the idea for a book.
“It was August 23, at around 5:35 in the morning, and I woke up with this idea to write about,” he said. “The idea is about great artists who die and their work goes up in value because their work is finite — but what if somehow these artists started painting again?”
Forst spent the following year and a half working on his first novel, which has been released under the title “The Reincarnation of Vincent Van Gogh.”
The book follows Mark Reed, an architect who gets into an auto accident, and suddenly finds himself obsessed with painting. He starts creating his own works, eventually leading to his art being displayed in a gallery.
When people start to notice an uncanny similarity to the work of Van Gogh, questions start being asked — could he be the famous artist returned in a new form? The value of Van Gogh’s formerly classic work starts to plummet, and collectors who invested in it are suspicious about Reed.
What follows is a story of action, intrigue and mystery that examines artists lives and the impact on the art market.
“Reed goes through a lot of questions about what does he do if this talent isn’t actually his own,” Forst said. “Van Gogh barely sold during his lifetime, so shouldn’t he receive the recognition he deserves?”
Forst spent most of his career as an architect, retiring in 1998, but painting was always something he was interested in, and he kept with it during his career. In 1989, he said, he started to receive some recognition for his work and has been featured in galleries all over the state ever since.
“Writing was something I was never really that interested in, but once I started I’ve found that I really love it,” he said. “There’s a learning curve with the rewrites and everything, but I worked with a great editor.”
Forst finds that writing is just like painting with words as opposed to colors, and really dove into writing the painting scenes in the book.
He also did a a lot of research into Van Gogh’s life, and learned a lot about the master’s struggles.
“He (Van Gogh) seemed the perfect artist for this, because he sold so little during his lifetime,” Forst said. “This was kind of a way to honor Van Gogh’s name and the sadness there.”
Forst’s book can be found online at Amazon and at the Tattered Cover book store.