Forest Brierre at the Starbucks on Somerville Avenue, where her art is on display.

By Julia Fairclough

Nearly a dozen metallic ink drawings serve as a pleasant backdrop to the alluring smell of coffee and quiet conversation that emanates throughout the Starbucks Café on Somerville Avenue.
Somerville artist Forest Brierre is enjoying her first solo show and a cup of Starbucks coffee on a recent Friday, as she talks about how she kind of fell into using metallic ink on black paper. Brierre’s art will be on display through this month.

“I bought a notebook of black paper and metallic pens for my niece,” she said. “I started to play around with it and found it to be too much fun to give away.”

Each drawing has a different theme, yet all have a mysterious quality brought on by the luminous ink and dark paper. Brierre likes to play with angles and various swirls to add tension.

“Compassion and the Storm” features a cloud, lightening, and stormy waters. A stream with rocks could signify the challenges of life. Or, a series of lines could speak about the flow and rigidity in life.

Brierre is a life-long learner; she attended the Massachusetts College of Art and the Art Institute of Boston and kept on going from there. She has explored various venues, from masks to performance art. She is also interested in healing through the arts and takes various classes at Art & Soul in Cambridge.

“I find it healing to do my art, and I’d like to bring that to other people,” she said.

Brierre has also been a preschool assistant teacher in Cambridge for several years. And this is the first time that she has had her work up solo in 25 years.

“The medium I use is so interesting and people kept telling me that I should just show my work here,” she said, waving her hand at the green walls of Starbucks. “I come here a lot so it is quite nice to see my art on the walls. It makes me feel even more at home here.”

Brierre also likes the concept of artists showing their work at local cafes. “It’s more of a surprise to see art here, rather than in an art gallery,” Brierre said.