Painter and lecturer, born in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland, who gained a distinction on his foundation course at John Moores University, Liverpool, 1991–2, graduating with honours from there, 1992–6. From 1996–7, Forbes held painting and research scholarships and lectured at St Helens College, from 1998–01 gaining a postgraduate diploma in fine art from the Royal Academy Schools. He was a visiting lecturer at St Helens College and Liverpool University’s department of fine art. Forbes’s group exhibitions included St Helens Open, Merseyside, 1998; RA Summer Exhibition, from 2000; Flash, Adelaide Street, Belfast, 2002; and Living for the City, Waterfront Hall, Belfast, and RUA, Ulster Museum, Mills Selig Prize, outstanding work by a young artist, both 2004.