WaterMarks 0

Since 1982 Tony Foster has created a series of 'watercolour diaries' in the world's great wildernesses, travelling mostly on foot or by canoe or raft. During the last five years he has concentrated on representing water in all its forms. His latest exhibition, WaterMarks, Watercolour Diaries from Swamps to Icebergs is the fulfilment of this endeavour.

WaterMarks Catalogue

Please click on smaller image for enlargement (and vice-versa)

The exhibition commenced with a private viewing at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter, on the evening of Friday 28 March 2003. The exhibition was opened by Duncan Robinson, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Duncan Robinson opens the exhibition

He suggested that, just as John Ruskin had been passionate about painting Venice, with the result that the public had been inspired to preserve the threatened architectural heritage of the nineteenth century, so in the twenty-first century Tony Foster was passionate about painting the threatened natural heritage in the hope that people would come to celebrate it and value it more.

Tony welcomes his guests

Tony welcomed about 200 guests, many of whom had flown from distant lands just to be there. A happy hubbub soon developed and "It's Tony's best exhibition ever" was the pervading sentiment.

Happy hubbub

Tony had ferreted among the museum's collection in the basement to find artifacts for a central tableau. Dominated by a magnificent parrot and having a display of iridescent butterflies, it complimented the pictures very effectively.

From the museum's collection

Tony's approach to his work is summed up in the exhibition catalogue where he writes: 'For twenty years I have drawn my inspiration from the sublime beauty of wilderness. My work is not simply concerned with describing the landscape, but is about travelling slowly, living in wild places, and about encounters with people, artifacts, flora and fauna'.

His exhibits inspired amusement...

...amusement

...reflection

...reflection

...social interaction

...social interaction

...earnest questing

...earnest questing

...lively interest

...lively interest

...and animated discussion.

animated discussion

This is an exhibition not to be missed. Its appearance in Exeter until 31 May 2003 is the only opportunity of seeing the exhibition in Britain and indeed of ever seeing the complete exhibition again. After that it tours the United States, albeit with fewer exhibits, showing in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Jackson Hole.

For an overview see WaterMarks or for more detail navigate to   WaterMarks 1   WaterMarks 2   WaterMarks 3   and   WaterMarks 4.

Installation Photographs

Photographs by Doug Steven

A few days after the exhibition opened we picked a quiet moment to take a number of installation photographs. Eleven of them are shown here without caption or comment. They give a good idea of the feeling of the exhibition.

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