Arid Lands

Journeys in deserts have constraints. As a matter of life and death each person needs a gallon of water per day and a gallon of water weighs ten pounds. In mounting this expedition Tony had to be meticulous in ensuring that the logistics of his re-supply caches, pickups and key contacts were accurately planned.

Once his travelling companions have left him alone at a painting site, Tony spends several days absorbing what is around him and committing it to paper. As the essayist, John Halkes observed, at first sight Tony's "watercolour diaries" seem simple. However this is an illusion, for Tony paints with sensitivity and perception. We feel that we are there, in the very place where the artist is sitting. Everything appears to be resolved and yet transcendental, for Tony sees a glimpse of the nature of things beyond nature and the joy of it all floods into his art.

Some of the plates from Tony Foster's thirty-six page Arid Lands illustrated exhibition catalogue are shown below - please click on a picture to see its enlargement. Copies of the catalogue may be obtained from Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe priced at $15 including postage.